Michel de Marolles - Tableaux du Temple des Muses - 1676

Rare illustrated edition of a title frontispiece and 57 (of 58) beautiful mythological figures engraved out of text. This artistic and mythological collection is intended to celebrate the arts, antiquity and humanist culture through a vast series of engravings accompanied by learned commentary -

The work is drawn from the famous collection of paintings assembled by the financier and art enthusiast Favereau, whose cabinet contained numerous representations inspired by Greco-Roman mythology, ancient heroes, gods, muses and the great historical or poetic episodes of classical Antiquity -

Michel de Marolles undertakes to describe and interpret these works with considerable erudition, blending literary references, symbolic analyses and moral commentaries in order to make accessible to the reader the deep meanings of the scenes depicted -

Each painting thus becomes the starting point for reflection on poetry, virtue, human passions, heroic exploits and the lessons transmitted by ancient authors such as Homer, Virgil, Ovid or Plutarch -

Michel de Marolles - Tables from the Temple of the Muses; drawn from the Cabinet of Mr Favereau - 1676 - Abraham Wolfgang -
(18), 476, (6) pp

Binding in good condition, work in its full brown calf leather of the period, wear from use, a few minor defects on boards and spine, spine hinges cracked with neat repairs nicely done, slight loss at the tailcap, corners worn, gold-edged pages, spine with gilt tooling, gilded title –

Very good interior condition, rare foxing, small vignette on title page, pretty headpieces, fine drop caps, work enriched with a frontispiece and 57 (of 58) beautiful mythological engravings out of text (board 34 for Icarus is missing), marbled endpapers in good condition, charming copy –

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