FABLES On
Paper
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE CREATIVE GENIUS OF ANTIQUE AND ARTIST’S BOOKS
Auction 25th, 26th February 2025
Il Ponte Casa d’Aste
“Il Ponte Casa d’Aste, “les Italiens” of the Millon Auction Group, is delighted to open the new auction season with a sale dedicated to Antique Books and Livres d’Artistes . A selection defined by its excellence and diversity, enriched by emblematic works from France’s vast literary heritage. Among them, a rare first edition of “Fables Choisies” by Jean de La Fontaine, published in 1668 - an enduring masterpiece that, alongside other unique volumes, presents a rare opportunity for the most discerning connoisseurs.”
Stefania Pandakovic Head of Books and Manuscripts Department
Il Ponte Casa d’Aste
On Paper
F ABLES C HOISIES
History, Art & Collecting
The timeless value of an exceptional edition at auction
LA FONTAINE, Jean de (1621-1695)
Fables Choisies. Parigi: Claude Barbin, 1668.
KEY FEATURES
First edition in contemporary mottled calf of La Fontaine’s “Fables”, with corrections on the verso of oij of La Vie d’Ésope (lines 5-6 and 18, where “afin de leur donner lustre” and “emplete” appear instead of “afin de leur donner le lustre” and “amplete”).
Our copy also includes three manuscript corrections in brown ink: on the 7th line of page 9 (“le mulet se defendant” was completed with “le mulet en se defendant”), on the 1st line of page 57 (the word “pas” was replaced with “plus”), and on the 14th line of page 176 (the word “bien” was crossed out). This first edition features an “Épître dédicatoire”, a “Préface”, “La Vie d’Ésope le Phrygien”, 124 fables, an Epilogue, and the mention of the privilege shared with Denis Thierry (Tchemerzine, III, pp. 865-866).
CHARACTERISTICS
4to (245 x 182mm). Engraved coat of arms of the dedicatee on title, 118 engraved vignettes at the beginning of the fables signed F.C. (François Chauveau), woodcut headpieces, initials, and tailpieces (traces of offsetting on title, occasional soiling, some light staining and foxing, slightly
browned). Contemporary mottled calf, gilt titles and decorations on spine, speckled edges (some scuffing, slight losses at extremities, minor wear especially on joints, small restoration on rear cover).
HISTORY
Extraordinarily well-preserved, the volume is more than a rarity for connoisseurs: a literary masterpiece that, spanning centuries, has helped shape the French national identity. Printed by Claude Barbin, who shared the royal privilege with Denis Thierry, the copy at auction possesses a particular charm not only for its uniqueness but also for the crucial role it has played in the cultural history of France. Dedicated by La Fontaine to the eldest son of Louis XIV, this first edition became an essential read that solidified the author’s place among the greats of French classicism.
Since 1870, its fables have become an integral part of school education, conveying universal values through naturalistic metaphor. Moreover, Chauveau’s engravings, who collaborated with luminaries such as Racine, Corneille, and Molière, combine art and word in a sublime way.
ESTIMATE
€ 7,000 - 10,000
AUCTION
25th, 26th February 2025
VIEWING
13 February 2025
Quartier Drouot, 1 Rue Rossini, 75009 Paris
20, 21, 22 February 2025
Palazzo Crivelli, via Pontaccio 12, 20121 Milano
«Jean-Noël Pascal, in the preface to his anthology of 18th-century fables, “La fable au siècle des lumières”, reminds us that the 18th century is the golden age of the fable. “Les Fables de La Fontaine”, which achieved wide editorial success during the author’s lifetime, were published no fewer than one hundred times between 1700 and 1800. The fabulist also enjoyed recognition in the educational realm, despite pedagogues’ reluctance to use recent literature. It is true that the tutor of the young Duke of Burgundy paved the way. Young students were encouraged to compare La Fontaine with his sources, Aesop and Phaedrus. If there is a history of the reception of the Fables, it must be read as a history of interpretation, revealing once again the inexhaustible potentialities of the work and their infinite power of suggestion. Thanks to his gift as a storyteller and painter, the art of narration and suggestion in La Fontaine’s fables seems always to summon both voice and image, even as it simultaneously rejects them as it unfolds».
Lebrun, Marlène. “Regards actuels sur les Fables de La Fontaine”. Villeneuve d’Ascq: Presses universitaires du Septentrion, 2000.
«The poems of La Fontaine have inspired the sharp genius of Chamfort, provoked the indignation of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, nourished the meditations of Taine, and awakened the admiration of André Gide. Translated into Creole, imitated in Russian, they continue to be taught to schoolchildren, and illustrated albums are flourishing, renewing the initial offering to the Dauphin, now intended for the wider public. The Fables also continue to intrigue: they have not revealed all their secrets. [...] But regardless of the initial impulse, the Fables continue their journey; from era to era, they accompany the evolution of thought and culture, taking on the shades that new readers discern in them according to their own questions. The politeness and depth of a book that, four hundred years after its publication, remains a call to intelligence».
Céline Bohnert. “Recueil des Commémorations”, 2018.
O THER L ITERARY T REASURES
A curated selection of exceptional pieces to be presented at auction
A fairytale atmosphere is captured in the grotesques and Gothic character of the splendid nineteenth-century manuscript “En ce livre sont contenues les prières et orations durant le très saint sacrifice de la messe” (€5,000–8,000), a parchment codex of 52 finely illuminated leaves adorned with precious gold leaf. The elaborate golden frames, phytomorphic decorations on the boards, gilded lilies on the spines, and gilded and embossed edges enhance its elegance, while the gold lace, blue silk endpapers, and metallic clasps complete this rare work of refinement.
In the section dedicated to 20th-century artist books, the rare “LITO-LATTA” by Tullio d’Albisola (€18,000–25,000) stands out. This piece encapsulates the essence of Italian Futurism through Bruno Munari’s daring illustrations, the tin-cylinder binding – a symbol of praise for industry – and texts enriched by an introduction from Filippo Tommaso Marinetti.
Also in this section is “Apocalissi e sedici traduzioni” by Lucio Fontana and Giuseppe Ungaretti (€4,000–6,000), published in 1965 in only 150 numbered copies. This copy is further enhanced by two “Concetti Spaziali” signed by the two visionary figures of 20th-century Italy.
Among the creations by internationally renowned artists, we find “Le Decameron” by Salvador Dalí (€2,000–3,000), a splendid 1972 edition illustrating Boccaccio’s famous work with 10 original drypoint engravings and French text. Also featured is a copy of “Verve. Revue artistique et littéraire” by Henri Matisse (€1,500–2,500), a highly valuable piece collecting original colour lithographs printed by Fernand Mourlot in 1958.
Lot 37
[ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT - En ce livre sont contenues les prières et orations durant le très saint sacrifice de la messe - Second half of the 19th century.
Estimate € 5,000 - 8,000
Lot 63
TULLIO D’ALBISOLA (1899-1971) - Bruno MUNARI (1907-1998)
L’Anguria lirica (long passionate poem). Introduction by Marinetti (from the Accademia d’Italia). Commentary by V. Orazi. Illustrations by Bruno Munari. Rome and Savona: Edizioni Futuriste di Poesia, undated [circa 1933].
Estimate € 18,000 - 25,000
Lot 48
FONTANA, Lucio (1899-1968) - Giuseppe UNGARETTI (1888-1970)
Apocalissi e sedici traduzioni. Ancona: Bucciarelli, 1965.
Estimate € 4,000 - 6,000
Lot 14
DALI, Salvador (1904-1989) - Giovanni BOCCACCIO (1313-1375) Le Decameron. Paris: Michele Broutta and Pamela Verlag, 1972.
Estimate € 2,000 - 3,000
Lot 17
MATISSE, Henri (1869-1954)
Verve. Revue artistique et littéraire. Vol. IX, Nos 35 et 36. Paris: Éditions de la Revue Verve, 1958.
Estimate € 1,500 - 2,500
HOW TO BUY
CONTACT
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Stefania Pandakovic Head of Department
Elena Claudi
Cataloguer, Tel. +39 02 8631477
Elena Lo Castro
Cataloguer, Tel. +39 02 8631474
libri.manoscritti@ponteonline.com