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JONSTON, John (1603-1675) and Nicolas ROBERT (1614-1685)
Collection d'oiseaux les plus rares gravés et dessinés d'après nature, pour servir d'intelligence à l'histoire naturelle et raisonnée des différens oiseaux qui habitent le globe... Traduite du Latin de Jonston, considerablement augmentee... De laquelle on afait preceder l'Histoire particuliere des Oiseaux de la Menagerie du Roi... par... Robert... Pour servir de suite à l'histoire des insectes & plantes de Mademoiselle de Merian
Paris: Chez L.C. Desnos, 1772-1774. (19 9/16 x 13 inches). 2 parts in one volume, folio ( x inches). Engraved additional title and 85 engraved plates (the 23 in the second part by Nicolas Robert). Bound to style in 18th-century diced russia gilt, covers with triple fillet border with floral spray cornerpiece, spine in seven compartments with raised bands, red morocco lettering-piece in the second, the others with repeat decoration in gilt made up from various small tools.
A fine copy of Desnos' edition of Jonston's work bound with two selections of engravings by Robert: one of the greatest of all 17th century natural history artists.
The main part of the present work is a French edition of Jonston's work on birds. To this is added a reissue of most of the plates from two of Robert's works on the birds of the royal menagerie at Versailles: Receuil... and Suite des Oyseaux les plus rare, both originally published in Paris in 1676.
Jonston, the grandson of John Johnstone of Craigieburn, Nithsdale, Scotland, was born and raised in Poland. After studying botany and medicine at Cambridge, he travelled extensively before settling in Leiden, where he practiced medicine. Jonston is now seen chiefly as a "learned compilor" (Johnston) and published a very popular natural history (Historiae Naturalis), in 77 parts between 1650 and 1662. His sources were wide ranging, but probably the main influence was Aldrovandi (1522-1605). The first 62 plates in the present work are a reprint of the complete suite of plates from the De Avibus section of Aldrovandi's great work.
The remaining 23 plates are by Nicolas Robert. Robert is one of the two greatest French natural history artists of the 17th century. He made his name illustrating the Guirlande de Julie: a jewel of a manuscript, an album of flowers given as a gift from the baron de Saint-Maure to his fiancée. Robert subsequently worked most memorably on the vélins du Roi botanical drawings and the engravings for the Académie Royale des Sciences work Mémoires pour servir à l'Histoire des Plantes. Whilst working on these commissions for others he also produced his own plates, the present excellent engravings are fine examples of his work.
Anker 238; Fine Bird Books (1990) p.111; Nissen IVB 484; cf. Ronsil 1503; cf. Ronsil 2599 (1st edition of Robert plates); Wood p.410.
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#17345 $17,500.00 
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© 2002-2005 Donald A. Heald
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