Malfilâtre, Jacques-Charles-Louis Clinchamps de: Narcisse dans l'île de Vénus. Poème en quatre chants. Paris: 1795. Octavo (18.5 x 11 cm). Printed on vellum. Elegantly bound in red morocco by Charles Capé (1806-1867), binder to the Louvre, the Empress Eugénie, and the duc d'Aumale. Spine gilt in compartments, triple-line rules to boards and elaborate turn-ins gilt, green morocco doublures, marbled free endpapers, all edges gilt. Minor horizontal fold to each leaf, staining to page 121. 19 x 12.5cms. One of only two known copies printed on vellum of this rare satirical poem, this copy potentially linked to an important pre-1812 Moscow library. Of the known copies of Narcisse dans l'île de Vénus, one resides at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. The second is the present copy, which was owned by the celebrated French bookseller and collector Charles Chardin, and was sold when part of his library was auctioned by Leigh and Sotheby in London in 1819 and sold again in the sale of the Hochart library. IIA copy that may be described as being printed on vellum ('p. vél') is recorded in the 1805 library catalogue of Count Boutourlin , one of the greatest of Russian collectors and head of the Imperial Russian Library. Boutourlin's magnificent personal library was destroyed during the devastating Moscow fire of 1812, and it was believed that the Malfilâtre was lost in the conflagration.The timing of this volume's appearance in 1819 is, however, suggestive. This copy has mild grey stains at the tops of the leaves, always corresponding to points where the vellum has naturally curled, leaving a space open between the pages. It is plausible that these could have been caused by soot falling onto the top edge and only penetrating the book where the leaves were separated. Many of the leaves show evidence of having been folded in half, and other pages show signs of water damage and possible cleaning, prior to its being bound by Capé. The original binding on the Boutourlin copy is uncertain but thought to have been red morocco. It was rebound by the French master binder Charles Capé in the 1830s or 40s, leaving no trace of a previous binding.) A likely conclusion might be that the book was either looted from the fire or discovered in the ruins of the library, and subsequently sold in Paris. As Chardin was one of the most prominent French booksellers of the period it makes sense that the volume would have found its way into his hands. Much of Moscow's artistic and literary heritage was destroyed during the disaster, and books with provenance tying them to pre-1812 institutions are of the utmost rarity. It is, of course, not possible to state definitively that this is the same copy. But given the rarity of vellum printings of Narcisse, this appealing association should not be completely discounted. Literature: Catalogue des Livres de la Bibliotheque de S.E.M. le comte de Botourlin. Paris, Pougins 1805 Number 1855Nouveau dictionnaire portatif de bibliographie. Paris, Fournier fre?res 1809 page 330 'Il en a été tiré deux exemplaires sor peu de vélin grande forme' van Praet; Catalogue des livres imprimés sur vélin de la Bibliothéque du roi Paris, De Bure frères 1822 Volume IV page 213 number 304 'Il n'en a été tiré que deux sur vélin'. Text in French.
One of only two known copies printed on vellum of this rare satirical poem, this copy potentially linked to an important pre-1812 Moscow library. Of the known copies of Narcisse dans lîle de Vénus, one resides at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. The second is the present copy, which was owned by the celebrated French bookseller and collector Charles Chardin, and was sold when part of his library was auctioned by Leigh and Sotheby in London in 1819 and sold again in the sale of the Hochart library. IIA copy that may be described as being printed on vellum (p. vél) is recorded in the 1805 library catalogue of Count Boutourlin , one of the greatest of Russian collectors and head of the Imperial Russian Library. Boutourlins magnificent personal library was destroyed during the devastating Moscow fire of 1812, and it was believed that the Malfilâtre was lost in the conflagration.The timing of this volumes appearance in 1819 is, however, suggestive. This copy has mild grey stains at the tops of the leaves, always corresponding to points where the vellum has naturally curled, leaving a space open between the pages. It is plausible that these could have been caused by soot falling onto the top edge and only penetrating the book where the leaves were separated. Many of the leaves show evidence of having been folded in half, and other pages show signs of water damage and possible cleaning, prior to its being bound by Capé. The original binding on the Boutourlin copy is uncertain but thought to have been red morocco. It was rebound by the French master binder Charles Capé in the 1830s or 40s, leaving no trace of a previous binding.) A likely conclusion might be that the book was either looted from the fire or discovered in the ruins of the library, and subsequently sold in Paris. As Chardin was one of the most prominent French booksellers of the period it makes sense that the volume would have found its way into his hands. Much of Moscows artistic and literary heritage was destroyed during the disaster, and books with provenance tying them to pre-1812 institutions are of the utmost rarity. It is, of course, not possible to state definitively that this is the same copy. But given the rarity of vellum printings of Narcisse, this appealing association should not be completely discounted. Literature: Catalogue des Livres de la Bibliotheque de S.E.M. le comte de Botourlin. Paris, Pougins 1805 Number 1855Nouveau dictionnaire portatif de bibliographie. Paris, Fournier fre?res 1809 page 330 'Il en a été tiré deux exemplaires sor peu de vélin grande forme' van Praet; Catalogue des livres imprimés sur vélin de la Bibliothéque du roi Paris, De Bure frères 1822 Volume IV page 213 number 304 'Il n'en a été tiré que deux sur vélin'. Text in French
P., A. Quantin, 1884, in-8°, lii-193 pp, un portrait gravé par Gaujean en frontispice sous serpente colorée, une gravure hors texte, bandeaux, culs-de-lampe, biblio, reliure demi-percaline orange, dos lisse avec fleuron, date et double filet dorés, pièce de titre basane noire, couv. conservées (rel. de l'époque), bon état, imprimé à petit nombre sur papier vergé (Coll. les Petits poètes du XVIIIe siècle)
Dans la légende, Malfilâtre est l'une des figures symboliques du poète mort en pleine jeunesse, de détresse et d'épuisement. En fait, il s'agit là de mythe plus que de réalité. Né à Caen, Malfilâtre étudie chez les Jésuites et manifeste de bonne heure des dispositions pour la poésie. Quatre de ses odes sont couronnées. L'Ode sur le Soleil fixe au milieu des planètes (1759) est un assez bon exemple de cette poésie lyrique du XVIIIe siècle qui, voulant se faire instructive, demande son inspiration à la science. Marmontel la signale comme « l'aurore d'une belle carrière poétique ». Il écrit l'Ode sur Louis le Bien-Aimé sauvé de la mort à l'occasion de l'attentat de Damiens. Comme nombre de poètes de l'époque, il traduit en vers français les Géorgiques de Virgile. Lorsqu'il vient à Paris, il obtient différents travaux, mais n'évite pas pour autant les difficultés d'argent ; soit que, trop sensible aux plaisirs, il dépense plus qu'il n'a, soit que, de caractère facile, il ne sache pas résister aux demandes d'argent. Après une chute de cheval, il souffre d'un abcès au genou qui nécessite plusieurs opérations cruelles et entraîne sa mort. Le beau vers que Gilbert lui consacre dans sa satire, Le Dix-Huitième Siècle (1775), est donc récusable au nom de la vérité historique : La faim mit au tombeau Malfilâtre ignoré. Cette légende engendra celle de Gilbert lui-même. Pourtant, il semble bien que Malfilâtre fut un homme malheureux, cherchant la solitude. C'est aussi un homme qui travaillait beaucoup. Deux ans après sa mort, on publia son poème : Narcisse dans l'île de Vénus (1769).
[Lemoine Libraire] - MALFILATRE ; [ MALFILATRE, Jacques-Charles-Louis CLINCHAMPS DE ]
Reference : 52253
(1829)
1 vol. in-18 reliure de l'époque demi-chagrin brun, dos à 4 nerfs, Lemoine Libraire, Paris, 1829, XV-301 pp.
Bon état (rel. lég. frottée) pour cette charmante petite édition des oeuvres du poète Malfilâtre (1732-1767)
Chez Blaise Et Lance Paris 1823 In-8 ( 210 X 140 mm ) de XXII-273 pages, demi-chagrin chocolat, dos à nerfs orné de caissons dorés, tête dorée. ( Reliure de l'époque ). Lithographie en frontispice et fac-similé dépliant. Très bel exemplaire.
Guyétand ( Claude-Marie ) Clinchamps de Malfilâtre ( Jacques-Charles-Louis ) Robbé de Beauveset ( Pierre Honoré )
Reference : 64775
Imprimerie de Clousier, Paris 1790 - Chez Lejay libraire Paris 1769 - A La Haye, 1760 relié plein cuir, dos à nerfs, 186pp, X-112pp avec le titre de Eisen gravé par de Ghendt et 4 gravures hors texte de Saint Aubin gravées par Massart ( deuxième non signée ), 126pp avec vignette de titre et 4 gravures hors texte de Desfriches gravées par Cochin - trois recueils de poésies en édition originale - bon état