An uncommon edition of Aesop’s fables, published in Paris in 1801 and dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte during his early years as First Consul of France. The work consists of twenty fables with vignette illustrations by Laurent Guyot, a Parisian engraver and print-publisher remembered for his stipple, crayon manner, and colour-plate techniques. Guyot’s work follows the high Rococo era of French illustrations, which were popular amongst collectors for their elaborate and detailed engravings of the natural world.
The title page features a portrait of Napoleon in his early reign surrounded by a variety of symbolic images, one of which is a rooster, a symbol that gained popularity after the French Revolution to represent the new republic. This work was published before Napoleon denounced the rooster and instated the eagle to represent French power in 1804. At the foot of each page is a calligraphic illustration of an animal, often, but not always correlating with the theme of the fable. Out of the twenty fables, there are two camel fables, which recognize and honor Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt.
Published at a post-revolutionary time when few high-quality books were being produced, this edition of Aesop’s Fables represents the French fabulist tradition and the political context of early 19th century France.
Discreet repairs to title page, occasional minor repaired tear to foreedges of sheets, minor thumbing, but overall a lovely copy in very good condition.
OCLC: US: Morgan Library, Getty, LoC, Harvard, Princeton, Scranton. Canada: McGill. UK: Cambridge.
