Pierre Michault - La Danse aux aveugles et autres poésies du XV. Siècle. - 1749

MICHAULT (Pierre)

The Dance of the Blind and Other Poems of the 15th Century

Amsterdam, s.i., 1749.

1 volume in-12 (14.5 x 9 cm), marbled full calf (period binding), smooth decorated spine, title piece in morocco, red edges, [14]-332-[35] pages (complete). Corners rubbed, tear on the tail cap, small leather loss on the binding, upper hinge partially split. Overall acceptable condition.

The Dance of the Blind by Pierre Michault, with its first known copy dating back to 1485, is a parable in verse and prose about the human dance under the guidance of Love, Fortune, and Death. The work was a bestseller, with no fewer than eight different editions until 1543. However, it was ignored for more than two hundred years and only reappeared in 1748. Established by the Belgian scholar and bibliophile Lambert Douxfils, the collection, in addition to the famous Dance of the Blind, contains pieces as diverse as the Testament of Pierre de Nesson, the Confession of the Daughter-in-law, the Debate between the worldly man and the religious one. It concludes with an engaging and very useful lexicon of 15th-century French vocabulary.

Rare specimen