489 - GAVARD (Charles). Versailles. Galeries historiques, dédiées à S.M. la Reine des Français.

GAVARD (Charles). Versailles. Galeries historiques, dédiées à S.M. la Reine des Français. Paris, Gavard, 1838-1841: 15 vol. large in-folio. Brown half-chagrin with corners, decorated spines (variation in decoration for the last two volumes). Some rubbing to covers and spines (not severe), water stains on some spines. The interiors are fresh except for a few uniformly browned leaves. Our collection comprises the first 13 volumes of the series 1 to 11, plus the first two supplement volumes. Engravings are printed on Chine contrecollé; text and commentary leaves are framed with woodcut vignettes. The edition appeared in issues from May 1, 1838, and continued with supplements until 1849. There were 3 simultaneous editions of this work (in-4, in-folio and large in-folio), comprising 13 volumes, plus 6 supplements. The engravings were made by Gavard, using a process he had invented (the diagraph). The first volume contains the title, the dedication to the Queen, the prospectus, the list of subscribers, the table and classification of the engravings in the 11 series, and the table of characters depicted in portraits. In 1833, Louis-Philippe decided to transform the Château de Versailles into a museum. "He wanted engraving to reproduce every detail of this immense museum of archaeology and history; more than 2 million euros were spent on this reproduction. Begun in 1835, it was not completed until three years after the fall of the July royalty, by a man whose perseverance and dedication are all we can praise here. The Galeries historiques de Versailles, which forms 19 large folio volumes, and contains over 3,000 steel engravings, is itself a monument of its kind." (Vicaire, III, 950-952 - Brunet, II, 1508-1509.). (Not collated).