96 - GIFT COPY OF THE BOOK ON THE CORONATION OF LOUIS XV by Antoine Michel Padeloup (1685–1758)

GIFT COPY OF THE BOOK ON THE CORONATION OF LOUIS XV by Antoine Michel Padeloup (1685–1758) The Coronation of Louis XV, King of France and Navarre, in the Cathedral of Reims, on Sunday, October 25, 1722 Large folio, bound in blue morocco leather with the great coat of arms of France, interior lace, gilt edges (Padeloup). H_63.8 cm W_49.0 cm Morocco leather slightly detached along the spine of the back cover; signs of wear; some foxing and browning on the pages. The morocco leather has retained a very beautiful deep blue hue. Bibliography: -Mercure de France, April 1732 -Cohen, 917 (“magnificent volume”) -Ruggieri 546 (“highly sought after for the beauty of the 9 large plates, the numerous portraits, and the text borders”) -Lipperheide, 2713 -Paul Culot, “On Several Period Bindings with Gilded Decorations Depicting the Coronation of Louis XV,” Cahiers de Mariemont, I, 1970, pp. 36–51 -Bulletin Morgand, 1884, No. 9546 “This book is a dazzling display of 18th-century art and the one to consult if one wishes to appreciate the pomp and grandeur of a ceremony such as a king’s coronation “ -Olivier, Hermal, and Roton, plate 2495, engraving no. 20. Related works: For Type B bindings with a Type A Padeloup label - -Copy of *The Coronation of Louis XV* (Paris, 1731), Bibliothèque nationale de France, Rare Books Collection, RES GR FOL-LB38-232 -Copy of *The Coronation of Louis XV* (Paris, 1731), Sotheby’s auction of June 20, 2022, lot 40 -Copy of *The Coronation of Louis XV* (Paris, 1731), The Morgan Library, New York Our book is a first edition of one of the most sumptuous works of the 18th century. Published by Antoine Danchet under the direction of Jean Paul Brignonet and Claude Gros de Boze, this commemorative volume marks the coronation of Louis XV in 1722. The book was printed at the expense of Louis XV, who had reserved all copies for himself to give as gifts. Work began in 1722, but the volume was not presented to the king until December 24, 1731. Bound by Antoine-Michel Padeloup (1685–1758), the king’s bookbinder, in blue morocco leather featuring the coat of arms and cipher of Louis XV, with a “grand gilding” decoration designed by the bookbinder specifically for this volume. Our binding, in its Type B variant with four plates, features Padeloup’s first label (Label A) at the foot of the last plate. The absence of any mention of his title as the king’s bookbinder indicates that this book was bound by him between 1731 and August 1733. It is illustrated with remarkable engraved plates, depicting in particular the key moments of the ceremony, the royal regalia, the dignitaries’ attire, and the layout of the cathedral. These compositions, executed with great precision, provide an exceptional record of the splendor and etiquette of the court under the Ancien Régime. Entirely engraved, this volume is adorned with a frontispiece, nine double-page plates by Audran, Beauvais, Cochin, Larmessin, Tardieu, Edelinck, and others. It presents the main stages of the coronation, and thirty plates are devoted to the ceremonial costumes of the king and the high officers of the crown. They are engraved from drawings by Pierre Dulin and Pierre-Josse Perrot. The richness of its illustrations, its monumental format, and the opulence of its bindings attest to the political and diplomatic significance of this publication, intended to perpetuate the memory of the coronation and to affirm the majesty of royal power.