Beschreibung:

Daniel Rabel (?1578-1637), Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717), John Johnston (1603-1675) & Nicolas Robert (1614-1685). Maria Sibylla MERIAN (1647-1717) & Daniel RABEL (?1578-1637). Histoire Generale des Insects de Surinam et de L'Europe contenant leur figures, leur différentes metamorphoses, par Mademoiselle Marie Sybille Merian, en deux parties in folio. Troisième édition, revue, corrigée & considérablement augmentée par M. Buchoz - médecin botaniste de feue Sa Majesté le Roi de Pologne. A la quelle on a joint une troisiìme partie qui traite des plus belles fleurs, telles que des Plantes bulbeuses, liliacées, caryophillées &c. Paris: Chez L.C. Desnos, 1771. 3 parts in 2 volumes. Hand-coloured engraved additional title and 326 hand-coloured engraved plates on 188 leaves (i.e.Vol.I: '..Tome Premier, Des Plantes de Surinam': 72 hand-coloured engraved plates [1 folding] by J. Mulder, P. Sluyter and D. Stopendaal, all after Merian. '..Tome Second, Des Plantes de l'Europe.' 185 hand-coloured engraved plates of flowers and insects on 47 leaves [1 folding] by Merian. Vol.II: '..Tome Troisième, Des Plantes Bulbeuse, Liliacées, Caryophyllées.' Hand-coloured engraved additional allegorical title, 69 hand-coloured engraved plates of flowers after Rabel). [ Volume II also contains :] John JONSTON (1603-1675) & Nicolas ROBERT (1614-1685). Histoire Naturelle et Raisonnée des differens oiseaux qui habitent le globe... Traduite du Latin de Jonston, considerablement augmentée...A De laquelle on a fait preceder l'Histoire particuliere des Oiseaux de la Menagerie du Roi... par le celebre Robert, & graves par lui-meme. Paris: Chez L.C. Desnos, 1773-1774. 2 parts. 85 engraved plates (the 23 in part I by Robert). The 2 works, in five parts, in two volumes, folio (501 x 328mm). (Some browning to text in the first volume, occasional light spotting.) Contemporary Parisian olive-green morocco gilt, covers with triple-fillet border, spines in eight compartments with raised bands, red morocco lettering-piece in the second and third, the others with a repeat pattern made up of small tools including flower-sprays, flower-heads and foliage, comb-marbled endpapers, g.e. (spines somewhat faded, neat repairs to leather on both covers of the 1st vol. and the lower cover of the 2nd volume). Provenance : D.G. Cavrasco (early inscription). A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE COLLECTION OF NATURAL HISTORY WORKS GATHERED TOGETHER BY DESNOS TO INCLUDE PLATES FROM SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOTANICAL AND ORNITHOLOGICAL WORKS OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES, FINELY BOUND IN CONTEMPORARY FRENCH GREEN MOROCCO. An exceptionally rare work, a complete set of Desnos' natural history collection has not been sold at auction in the last 25 years. The first work includes both of Merian's great works as well as a third part after Rabel (in essence a revised fourth edition of his Theatrum florae ) on the most beautiful flowering plants of the early 17th century. The second work includes 23 plates by Robert, who with Rabel, was one of the two greatest natural history artists of the 17th century, as well as a reprint of 62 plates from Jonston's charming work. The rarest section of this extarordinary compilation is the third part to the first work, an unacknowledged fourth edition of Daniel Rabel's Theatrum florae . It includes all 69 of the plates that are present in the first three editions (published without text in Paris in 1622, 1627 and 1633 respectively), and only lacks the engraved frontispiece and title. The plate captions found in the earlier editions have been burnished out, but reappear almost word for word in the text. The additional text is, in part if not all, by Bu'choz. The 17th-century editions are generally found with the plates uncoloured (the only coloured copy to appear at auction in the last 25 years was the de Belder copy, sold for £150,000, and now in the Oak Spring Garden Library). The colouring of the present set of plates is of a uniformly high standard, each of the