Jean Second - Les Baisers - 1770-1770

Rare, ... first edition appeared with a very beautiful frontispiece signed by Eisen and engraved by Ponce, as well as a vignette and a concluding image by the same artist, engraved by de Longueil and Binet. Cohen lists only 15 copies, all, like ours, printed on Dutch paper.
The binding from the late 19th century consists of light half-calf leather, the spine is richly decorated with five raised bands, adorned with gold tooling and fields, title and date labels in red and navy morocco leather, covers, flyleaves and inside covers of combed paper, the binding signed “Petit successeur de Simier.” Joints and corners rubbed.
Slight isolated foxing at the edges and a pale stain on page 57, otherwise a beautiful copy.

“First edition of the Baiser-Kussbilder (Number 15) and first attempt at their illustration. Here are the proof impressions of the frontispiece vignettes, the vignette of the Hymne au Baiser, which in the following edition becomes the headpiece of the first kiss, and the final vignette of the fifteenth kiss, which becomes the final image of the twentieth.” (Cohen)
Extremely rare.