TAYLOR (J.), Ch. Nodier and A. de Cailleux. Voyages pittores - Lot 136

TAYLOR (J.), Ch. Nodier and A. de Cailleux. Voyages pittoresques et romantiques dans l'ancienne France: Languedoc. Paris, Imprimerie Didot Ainé, Gide, Engelmann, 1833-1837. 4 large volumes in-folio (535 x 355 mm), long-grained red half-maroquin, corners, spines decorated in gold and cold, entirely untrimmed (contemporary binding). First edition. "One of the first and most important French lithographic productions" (Brunet). These 4 volumes, devoted to Languedoc, are among the finest in the series. They feature a frontispiece and 546 lithographed plates, 448 of them on Chine collé, by Théophile Fragonard, Chenovard, Dauzats, Chapuy, Viollet-le-Duc, Challamel, Rouargue, Tony Johannot and others. These plates are dated between 1833 and 1840. The text pages are also adorned with beautiful and sometimes spectacular frames by Théophile Fragonard, Célestin Nanteuil, Massé, Fries, Victor Adam, Viollet-le-Duc, etc., including several large and small vignettes. First collection of French heritage. Under the impetus of Charles Nodier, James Taylor and Alphonse de Cailleux, the Voyages pittoresques et romantiques undertaking was a pharaonic one: the complete collection comprises 24 volumes published by Firmin Didot between 1820 and 1878, covers all regions of France and includes nearly 3,000 plates. Scattered, insignificant foxing, which is rare for this work.