F. Basan - Collection de Cent-Vingt Estampes - 1781

Collection of One Hundred Twenty Plates, Engraved after the Paintings & Drawings that composed the Cabinet of Mr. Poullain, Receiver-General of the King’s Domains, who died in 1780.
Preceded by a Historical Summary of the Life of the Authors who comprise it. Dedicated to Mr. the Count d’Orsay.
Paris: Chez Basan et Poignant, 1781.

Prima ed unica edizione.

Format: 29 x 23.5 cm; pp. (4), 22, (2) + 120 engravings on 116 plates (complete).
Preserved in the original period binding in full red morocco with gilding to the spine (as in the provided images).

A work of extraordinary historical-artistic importance: it is the illustrated catalog of the famous Antoine Poullain collection, one of the most refined French art connoisseurs of the eighteenth century. After the collector’s death (1780), the collection was dispersed at auction and many works today are found in the leading international museums.

The volume contains 120 magnificent etchings and engravings (on 116 sheets, with some plates that join two), etched under the direction of Pierre-François Basan by various artists, reproducing paintings and drawings by great masters: Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Claude Lorrain, Gerrit Dou, Jordaens, and many others (as also attested by the alphabetic table of authors).

It is one of the most beautiful and complete sets of eighteenth-century French cabinet reproductions, fundamental for the study of the history of collecting and of reproductive graphic art. Complete copies like this are rare on the market; the work is cited in major bibliographies (Brunet, Cohen-De Ricci) and is highly sought after by collectors of illustrated books, prints, and art history.

Many of the works depicted are today dispersed or in museum collections, making this volume a precious visual document of the era.

Volume in excellent condition for its age (complete, with all 120 plates), with patina of the period and undeniable charm.

Ideal for important collections of ancient illustrated books or prints.

A work of high collecting value, with comparable copies having fetched at international auctions for several thousand euros.