M. Quinault - Le théâtre de M. Quinault - 1715

QUINAULT, PHILIPPE. — MR. QUINAULT'S THEATRE (PARIS, PIERRE RIBOU, 1715).
Paris: Pierre Ribou, 1715.
4 volumes in octavo. Volume three missing. Full contemporary calf embossed with arms on the boards, spine with raised bands ornamented with lyres.
A collective edition the most complete and esteemed of Philippe Quinault’s theatre under Louis XIV, published by Pierre Ribou, official bookseller of the Royal Academy of Music.

A member of the Academy and the official librettist for Jean-Baptiste Lully, Quinault created tragedy in music and fixed the golden age of French opera. This edition gathers all of his tragedies, comedies, and major opera librettos.

The major interest of this exemplar resides in its armorial binding from the period and in the presence of a remarkable series of copper-engraved theatre plates depicting the sets, machinery, and costumes of performances given at the Court and in the City.

Precious period binding with arms. The brown calf shows wear and scuffing at the headbands and corners, with slight losses at the head of Volume IV. The gilded armorial stamps in the centers of the boards are very well preserved and clear. The interior is fresh on laid paper, complete with the frontispiece and the plates printed outside the text for each piece.

Philippe Quinault was the most cherished poet of the Sun King for the fêtes of Versailles. His lyric verses, sung to Lully’s music, echoed throughout Europe.

The presence of the lyre-crest on the spine panels (a direct nod to the author’s lyric talent) combined with the large gilded arms centered on the boards gives this set an exceptional bibliophilic value. The mention of the château on the 1715 title page confirms the noble provenance of its origin.