270 - [DIDEROT (Denis)]. The History and Secret of Wax Painting. n.p., n.d., [1755]. In-12, [1] title leaf, 103–[1] pp. Midnight blue half-maroquin, ribbed spine, gilt title (19th-century binding). Worn and with a slight tear at the head joint.

[DIDEROT (Denis)]. The History and Secret of Wax Painting. n.p., n.d., [1755]. In-12, [1] title leaf, 103–[1] pp. Midnight blue half-maroquin, ribbed spine, gilt title (19th-century binding). Worn and with a slight tear at the head joint. A very rare first edition, printed in very small numbers according to Tchemerzine. In this short work devoted to the rediscovery of encaustic painting—an ancient technique using wax as a pigment binder—Diderot weighs in on the controversy between the painter Jean-Jacques Bachelier and the Count of Caylus. Taking Bachelier’s side, he examines the accounts of ancient authors, notably Pliny, and the methods for uncovering the secrets of this painting technique. Published during the era of the *Encyclopédie*, this text attests to Diderot’s early interest in artistic techniques and foreshadows his later reflections on painting. A very fine copy, enhanced by a folded engraved frontispiece taken from a contemporary edition of Pliny’s *Natural History* (Book XXXV, Chapter XI). (Tchemerzine IV, 445; Cioranescu 24095;)