Erasme de Rotterdam / Hobenius - L'éloge de la folie - 1713

Rare original illustrated edition with an allegorical frontispiece, 75 vignettes in the text, and 5/6 folding plates after drawings by Holbein -

This work reprises the fictitious discourse of Folly, an allegorical figure who speaks to celebrate its own benefits on humanity, overturning established moral, religious and social values -

Through constant irony, Erasmus critiques human behaviors, the vices of scholars, the excesses of theologians, the hypocrisies of the powerful and the illusions to which men fall prey in their quest for wisdom and prestige -

Folly appears as an omnipresent force that governs human actions without always being conscious of it, thus revealing the fundamental irrationality of societies. The work blends humor, classical erudition and moral critique in a fluent, often biting style that characterizes Renaissance humanism -

This eighteenth-century edition is part of a tradition of reinterpretation and dissemination of the text, where comments and reformulations aim to make the work accessible to a broader readership while highlighting its philosophical and satirical dimensions -

Erasmus of Rotterdam / Hobenius - The Praise of Folly, composed in the form of a declamation With a few notes by Listrius - 1713 - Pierre Vander Aa -
[16] f., 312 Pages.

Good condition of the binding, the work in its full brown morocco leathers of the period, wear from use, some minor flaws on boards and spine, top edge of head damaged, rear joint cracked, red edges, spine with raised bands ornamented with a on-piece and inlaid small tools in gilt, gilded title on a red morocco piece -

Good interior condition, browning, gathering loose, 2 loose plates, copy incomplete missing the plate representing the portraits of Erasmus, Holbein and Thomas More, title page printed in red and black, pretty headbands, fine initial, splendid vignette on the title page, the dedication page has been cut in two, the engraving entirely copper-plate consists of an allegorical frontispiece, 75 vignettes in the text and 5/6 folding plates after Holbein's drawings, some vignettes slightly damaged, one in particular with a hole in the page, otherwise very beautiful set, endpapers in acceptable condition, charming copy -

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