Erasmo - Éloge de la Folie - 1757

ERASMUS AGAINST HUMAN STUPIDITY – THE MASTERPIECE ILLUSTRATED BY CHARLES EISEN
A refined eighteenth-century edition of one of the most famous satirical masterpieces of the European Renaissance.
Originally published in 1511, Erasmus's Moriae Encomium (In Praise of Folly) humorously denounces the vices of society, the Church, and power. This precious French edition of 1757 presents the translation by Nicolas Gueudeville, revised against the Basel edition text. Magnificently illustrated with copper engravings drawn from the works of Charles Eisen, a protagonist of French Rococo art. A fascinating meeting between Erasmus's humanism and the figurative elegance of the eighteenth century, in a characteristic antique full-leather binding.

ABSTRACT
Elegant 1757 French edition of L'Éloge de la folie, the celebrated work by Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, in Nicolas Gueudeville's translation, revised and corrected against the Basel edition text, with notes and an important iconographic apparatus. This eighteenth-century impression belongs to the prospering illustrated publishing tradition of the work and stands out for the allegorical compositions by Charles Eisen, copper-engraved by some of the best French engravers of the period. The bibliographically anticipated illustration includes an allegorical frontispiece, a figurative frieze at the title page, an initial vignette, thirteen plates printed off the text, and a final engraving, for a total of seventeen graphic compositions. Folly, personified as protagonist and narrator, delivers an ironic self-praising speech, exposing the contradictions, weaknesses, and vanities of men. Its targets include scholars, theologians, princes, courtiers, religious figures, the powerful, and social conventions. Eisen's illustrations translate this literary universe into refined allegorical scenes, marked by narrative liveliness, Rococo elegance, and subtle humor. A particularly interesting edition for collectors of Erasmus, French illustrated books, humanist literature, and eighteenth-century engravings.

WHY TO BUY
A MASTERPIECE OF HUMANISM – L'Éloge de la folie is one of the fundamental works of European literature, a universal satire of vanity, ignorance, and human hypocrisy. ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF 1757 – An interesting eighteenth-century impression belonging to the famous tradition of decorated French editions with compositions by Charles Eisen. ENGRAVINGS BY CHARLES EISEN – Refined figurative apparatus derived from the drawings of one of the most important French Rococo illustrators, with allegorical and satirical scenes of notable artistic quality. TRANSLATION BY NICOLAS GUEUDEVILLE – One of the historically most important French versions of the work, revised and accompanied by explanatory notes. FRONTISPIECE IN RED AND BLACK – Elegant typographic composition with a two-color title, figurative vignette, and date in Roman numerals, in keeping with eighteenth-century French publishing taste. ART AND PHILOSOPHY – A work that brings together Erasmus's intellectual power and the talent of eighteenth-century engravers, particularly attractive for a library of illustrated classics. ANTIQUE BINDING – Copy preserved in full vellum with spine with raised bands and gold decorations, testimony to the bibliographic taste of the period.

MARKET VALUE
Illustrated editions of Erasmus's In Praise of Folly hold a firm position in the antique market, especially when they preserve the original iconography. The French eighteenth-century editions illustrated by Charles Eisen are sought after for the elegance of the engravings and for the quality of the publishing tradition to which they belong. Value depends mainly on the completeness of the thirteen plates printed off the text, the freshness of the impressions, the condition of the binding, and the integrity of the sheets. For the 1757 edition, antique dealers quote around €500 for copies in good condition.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Antique full brown leather binding, spine with raised bands and compartments decorated with floral borders pressed in gold, plain boards with natural signs of age. Internally, sheets with some physiological foxing and stains. In old books with a multisection history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI Viewings. Please refer to the original photographs to verify the actual condition of the object. Images are an integral part of the description. Pp. (2); 6nn; 24; 222; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus.
L'Éloge de la folie.
1757.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Composed in 1509 and first published in Paris in 1511, the Moriae Encomium, universally known as In Praise of Folly, represents one of the high points of European humanistic literature. Erasmus conceived the work during a stay in England, dedicating it to his friend Thomas More, the future author of Utopia. Through a brilliant rhetorical device, Folly takes the floor and delivers a long speech praising its own merits, while actually revealing the weaknesses and contradictions of human behavior. No social category escapes the satire: philosophers, grammarians, theologians, monks, clerics, rulers, courtiers, merchants, and ordinary people are depicted as prisoners of self-love, ambition, superstition, or the pursuit of prestige. Erasmus's critique, however, is not limited to social custom but touches moral and religious questions deeply connected to the spiritual renewal of early sixteenth-century Europe. The text proposes a vision of Christian religiosity grounded in evangelical simplicity and inner sincerity, opposing formalism and claims of authority. Its extraordinary editorial success accompanied the cultural transformations of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, ensuring its continued circulation in the following centuries. The 1757 French edition testifies to the work's vitality in the Enlightenment era, when critique of intolerance, ignorance, and authoritarianism found new resonances in European thought. Eisen's engravings, with their allegorical and theatrical language, visually render the playful yet corrosive character of Erasmus's satire.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Desiderio Erasmus of Rotterdam, probably born in 1466 or 1469 and died in Basel in 1536, was one of the greatest humanists of the European Renaissance. An Augustinian monk, philologist, theologian, and writer, he devoted his life to studying Greek and Latin classics, critiquing sacred texts, and promoting a Christianity based on knowledge, moderation, and intellectual freedom. He traveled extensively in Europe, staying in the Netherlands, France, England, Italy, and Switzerland, and maintained relationships with the leading scholars and politicians of his time. Among his most important works are Adagia, Enchiridion militis Christiani, the Colloquia, and the critical edition of the Greek New Testament of 1516, which would have a profound influence on the history of biblical studies. Although he harshly criticized ecclesiastical abuses, Erasmus refused to join Luther's confessionally split movement, defending a peaceful reform and the value of free will. His In Praise of Folly remains the best-known text of his literary production and one of the most enduring expressions of the capacity of humanism to unite erudition, irony, and moral critique.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
In Praise of Folly enjoyed extraordinary editorial fortune from the very first Latin edition of 1511. During the sixteenth century, numerous impressions and translations appeared, often accompanied by iconographic apparatus that helped disseminate the text internationally. The tradition of Hans Holbein the Younger’s illustrations is particularly famous, the marginal drawings made on a Basel 1515 edition. In the eighteenth century, the work was reissued in new translations and illustrated editions according to contemporary aesthetic canons. The French edition by Nicolas Gueudeville acquired considerable diffusion and was later revised and annotated by Meusnier de Querlon. A particularly important moment in the work's iconographic history was the illustrated edition of 1751, enriched by Charles Eisen’s drawings. The 1757 edition presented here revisits this successful graphic approach in a smaller format, with engravings adapted to the twelfth edition. The figurative endowment includes an antiporta, a vignette at the frontispiece, an initial frieze, thirteen plates printed off the text, and a concluding engraving, for a total of seventeen graphic elements. The compositions were copper-engraved by several engravers, including Noël Le Mire, Jean-Jacques Flipart, Jacques Aliamet, Jean-Baptiste Delafosse, Pierre-François Tardieu, and other masters active in the French artistic milieu. Charles Eisen succeeded in adapting Erasmus's moral and allegorical language to Rococo figurative elegance, turning the work into one of the most interesting illustrated books of eighteenth-century France. This impression thus constitutes a significant testimony to the encounter between a Renaissance literary masterpiece and the refined visual culture of the Enlightenment.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Cohen-De Ricci, Guide de l'amateur de livres à gravures du XVIIIe siècle, pp. 348–349, illustrated editions of L'Éloge de la folie. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Catalogue général, 1757 illustrated edition by Charles Eisen. WorldCat / OCLC, L'Éloge de la folie, translated from Latin Erasmus by M. Gueudeville, 1757. Erasmus Online, bibliographic record no. 2591. Desiderius Erasmus, Moriae Encomium, Paris, 1511, first Latin edition. Bibliographic catalogues of Erasmus's works and the illustrated French editions of the eighteenth century. Historical-art catalogs dedicated to Charles Eisen and to French Rococo engraving.