SAINT-HILAIRE, Auguste François César Prouvençal de (1779-1853), Adrien Henri Laurent de JUSSIEU (1797-1853), and Jacques CAMBESSEDES (1799-1863). Flora Brasiliae Meridionalis . Paris: A. Belin, [1824-]1825-1832[-1833]. 3 volumes, 2° (512 x 337mm). Half-titles. 193 hand-coloured engraved plates by Auguste and François Plée, Georger, Eugenia Taillant, Eléonore Sophie Rebel and others, after Pierre Jean François Turpin and Eulalia Delile, including a second plate numbered '63' [Larnottea tomentosa], a plate numbered '67 bis' and with no plate numbered 160, many of the plates include a small discrete oval blindstamp containing the printer's monogram 'SAB' at the foot of the plate area. (Some spotting of the text, occasionally heavy, about one third of the plates with some spotting or darkening). Contemporary green morocco gilt by J. Wright, cover with wide decorative borders, spines tooled with elaborate rococo decoration, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. AN EXTREMELY RARE FOLIO ISSUE OF THIS GREAT, BUT UNFINISHED WORK, WITH ALL THE PLATES FINELY HAND-COLOURED. Only 2 copies of this issue are recorded. Only the Plesch copy, a quarto edition, uncoloured, has appeared at auction in the last twenty five years. 'As an accountant in the civil service, Saint-Hilaire accompanied M. de Luxembourg, the French ambassador, to his post in Brazil in 1816. Saint-Hilaire spent the next six years surveying the flora and fauna of Brazil from Jequitinhina to the Rio de la Plata before returning to France in August 1822 with tens of thousands of specimens. He was later made a professor of the Faculty of Science in Paris. In preparing the present work, Saint Hilaire became ill and lost his voice and almost his sight as well; this led to the collaboration with de Jussieu and Cambessèdes beginning in 1827. The present edition was preceded by the quarto edition.' (Johnston, Cleveland Collections , p. 857). Johnston was unable to find any additional copies of the folio issue. Stafleu and Cowan cite two copies: one in the library of the Herbarium of Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, Missouri, and a second in the Bibliothèque nationale. The work was never completed. This copy comes to an abrupt halt at the foot of p. 128 of the text, complying with Stafleu and Cowan's collation, the Cleveland copy contained slightly less text, finishing on p. 96. Only Great Flower Books explains that the second plate 63 (see above) was supposed to have been cancelled and replaced by the plate numbered '67 bis'. Both plates are present here. Cf. BM(NH)IV, p.1783 (4° edition); cf. Great Flower Books (1990) p.135 (4° edition); Cleveland Collections 906; Nissen BBI 1715; Stafleu and Cowan 10034. (3)
SAINT-HILAIRE, Auguste François César Prouvençal de (1779-1853), Adrien Henri Laurent de JUSSIEU (1797-1853), and Jacques CAMBESSEDES (1799-1863). Flora Brasiliae Meridionalis . Paris: A. Belin, [1824-]1825-1832[-1833]. 3 volumes, 2° (512 x 337mm). Half-titles. 193 hand-coloured engraved plates by Auguste and François Plée, Georger, Eugenia Taillant, Eléonore Sophie Rebel and others, after Pierre Jean François Turpin and Eulalia Delile, including a second plate numbered '63' [Larnottea tomentosa], a plate numbered '67 bis' and with no plate numbered 160, many of the plates include a small discrete oval blindstamp containing the printer's monogram 'SAB' at the foot of the plate area. (Some spotting of the text, occasionally heavy, about one third of the plates with some spotting or darkening). Contemporary green morocco gilt by J. Wright, cover with wide decorative borders, spines tooled with elaborate rococo decoration, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. AN EXTREMELY RARE FOLIO ISSUE OF THIS GREAT, BUT UNFINISHED WORK, WITH ALL THE PLATES FINELY HAND-COLOURED. Only 2 copies of this issue are recorded. Only the Plesch copy, a quarto edition, uncoloured, has appeared at auction in the last twenty five years. 'As an accountant in the civil service, Saint-Hilaire accompanied M. de Luxembourg, the French ambassador, to his post in Brazil in 1816. Saint-Hilaire spent the next six years surveying the flora and fauna of Brazil from Jequitinhina to the Rio de la Plata before returning to France in August 1822 with tens of thousands of specimens. He was later made a professor of the Faculty of Science in Paris. In preparing the present work, Saint Hilaire became ill and lost his voice and almost his sight as well; this led to the collaboration with de Jussieu and Cambessèdes beginning in 1827. The present edition was preceded by the quarto edition.' (Johnston, Cleveland Collections , p. 857). Johnston was unable to find any additional copies of the folio issue. Stafleu and Cowan cite two copies: one in the library of the Herbarium of Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, Missouri, and a second in the Bibliothèque nationale. The work was never completed. This copy comes to an abrupt halt at the foot of p. 128 of the text, complying with Stafleu and Cowan's collation, the Cleveland copy contained slightly less text, finishing on p. 96. Only Great Flower Books explains that the second plate 63 (see above) was supposed to have been cancelled and replaced by the plate numbered '67 bis'. Both plates are present here. Cf. BM(NH)IV, p.1783 (4° edition); cf. Great Flower Books (1990) p.135 (4° edition); Cleveland Collections 906; Nissen BBI 1715; Stafleu and Cowan 10034. (3)
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
