135 - DELILLE, Jacques. *Les Jardins, ou L'art d'embellir les paysages*. Poem.

DELILLE, Jacques. *Les Jardins, ou L'art d'embellir les paysages*. Poem. A rare edition printed in a very small run at the expense of the Count of Artois, in a charming full morocco binding of the period. Paris, printed by Didot the Elder by order of His Excellency the Count of Artois, 1782. In-16, full red morocco, plain spine decorated with fleurons and gilt corner ferrules, title in gilt letters, triple gilt border on the covers, guilloché headbands, fillets, and medallions, all edges gilt, linings and endpapers of blue marbled paper (contemporary binding). 140 pages, title vignette featuring the coat of arms of the Count d’Artois, an engraved running band, and a colophon. Binding very slightly rubbed and darkened in places, minimal marginal foxing. A beautiful and rare edition from the time of the original, part of the “Collection of French Works, in Verse and Prose,” commissioned by the Count of Artois and printed at his own expense in a small number of copies, on fine laid paper, by François-Ambroise Didot the Elder. Speaking of this collection, Brunet noted that “it would be difficult for typography to produce anything more beautiful than these… small volumes, which will always be counted among Didot’s masterpieces.” This didactic poem by Jacques Delille (1738–1813) enjoyed considerable success upon its publication. In it, the author celebrates the art of English-style gardens, the picturesque, and the return to nature so cherished during the Enlightenment and the era of Marie Antoinette. In particular, he pays tribute to the Bagatelle Park, designed and laid out for the Count of Artois in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. A superb copy.