307 piezas de la biblioteca del exbanquero genovés Jean
Bonna, serán subastadas el miércoles 26
de abril por la casa Sotheby's en Paris.
Se destacan los dos primeros libros de poemas del argentino
Jorge Luis Borges. El primero es un ejemplar de la primera edición de "Fervor
de Buenos Aires" publicado en 1923, estimado entre 40,000 y 60,000 euros.
El segundo, "Luna de enfrente", con fecha de 1925 y que está estimado
entre 30,000 y 40,000 euros.
También se subastará la edición original de la última gran
obra publicada por Galileo en 1638, estimada entre 700,000 y 900,000 euros, así
como una Biblia protestante de 1569 valorada entre 10,000 y 15,000 euros.
The Collection Of
Jean Bonna - Books & Manuscripts, 15th - 20th Centuries - Auction In Paris
On 26 April - SOTHEBY'S INC.
THE COLLECTION OF
JEAN BONNA
Books &
Manuscripts, 15th - 20th centuries
The Jean Bonna collection, simply put, is exceptional! The
catalogues of his unique literary library spanning five centuries is now being
published and edited by Vérène de Soultrait*. These open a window onto the breadth
and depth of the uncommon path traced by the renowned connoisseur and
insatiable reader. The remarkable collection to be auctioned next April 26th at
Drouot is testimony to Jean Bonna's unusual and far-reaching passions: travel,
science, political economy, artists' books, the unique typographical and
historical which coexist with great works of literature - from the
extraordinary dedication copy of Galileo's Discorsi, all the way to the first
book by Friedrich Engels.
What is bibliophilia? Jean Bonna offers a well-structured
answer based on the books and manuscripts he has personally selected.
Bilbliophilia is not a mania; it is both a curiosity and a taste - a taste, for
example, for significant documents such as the drafted autograph essay in defense
of Madame Bovary, which Flaubert was forbidden to publish, or, for the
beautiful letter by the poet Veronica Gambara to Pietro Aretino, in which the
restraint resounds more eloquently than its words. Curiosity, of course, for
bindings, among which, here: Rose Adler, André Mare, René Wiener, etc. Some of
these were commissioned by the connoisseur, himself, firmly anchoring his
library in the present. Hence, no fewer than 15 original creations, by Jean
Gonet are presented, covering books covering the 15th-20th centuries. Gonet,
the master binder of the end of the 20th century, who upturned the established
codes and aesthetics that are the craft of bookbinding, tackled every genre
with brio. The dispersion of such a significant number of his creations is homage
to his unique talent.
Jean Bonna personifies a way of collecting without a priori
and thus follows in the footsteps of some of the finest contemporary
connoisseurs such as Jean-Paul Barbier Mueller, Pierre Bergé and Jacques
Guérin. It is of no surprise that, in his sale, two items come from the
collection of the latter: the fine large paper copy of Genie du Christianisme
by Chateaubriand and the autograph manuscript of a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé: A
celle qui est tranquille.
Among the old and rare books, several works are preserved in
their original bindings, some with polychrome decors as is the case of a 1554
Virgil, a superb Protestant Bible printed in 1570 in a Genevan binding, and
Petrarch's Euvres vulgaires, printed in Avignon in 1555: the French translation
by Vasquin Philieul from Carpentras is testimony to the importance of Provence
in the dissemination of Petrarchism in France during the 16th century. Also
found here, a Venetian edition of dante's Divina Commedia (1569) in lovely
contemporary gilt vellum.
Without a doubt, the most precious of the Renaissance
bindings presented here was executed circa 1540 by the royal binder Etienne
Roffet for King François I. Melding in its design the royal coat- of-arms as
well as the salamander, the binding holds a copy of the 1533 Aldin edition of
the Libri de re rustica. This exquisite volume was housed in the sovereign's
renowned "bibliothèque italienne", the royal Italian library which
was to become a landmark in the history of bookbinding. Indeed, for the first
time, coat-of arms were systematically stamped on books belonging to a private
collector.
Of particular note among the illustrated volumes of the 15th
and 16th centuries are La Louenge et vertu des nobles et cleres dames by
Boccaccio, published by Vérard in 1493 with 80 wood engravings; the Dialogus
creaturarum published in Antwerp by Gérard Leeu in 1491, illustrated with a
famous suite of 121 archaic woodcuts depicting animals (superb ebony binding by
Jean de Gonet) and, also, Eloy d'Amerval's Grant Dyablerie (Paris, 1518)
recreating the imaginary dialogue between Lucifer, Prince of Hell, and Satan,
his ambassador to Earth. The two devils congratulate each other, praising the
evil they generate. The volume bears the manuscript ex-libris of Enguerrand
Charreton, dated 1519, undoubtedly a descendant of Enguerrand Quarton, the
renowned painter of The Coronation of the Virgin held in the museum of
Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.
THE 17TH CENTURY
The books of the 17th century are also distinguished by
their armorial bindings or by their illustration.
The first edition of Bossuet's Apocalypse (1689) was bound
for police Lieutenant La Reynie in contemporary morocco with his coat-of-arms
gilt on sides; the Sermons of Bourdaloue, one of Madame de Sévigné's favorite
preachers, is preserved in contemporary morocco and bears the well-known golden
emblems of the Baron de Longepierre; the original edition of L'Impiété des
Deistes, Athees, et Libertins de ce temps by Marin Mersenne (1624) was bound
for Cardinal Richelieu in morocco. In addition, the Traité des obligations des
Chrétiens by the Abbé de Rancé (1699) is even more remarkable. A vade mecum of
virtues, issued a few months before the author's death (who inspired one of the
most beautiful works by Chateaubriand), the Traité was the austere theologian's
spiritual testament. The copy was bound at the time in morocco for King James
II, with his coat-of-arms gilt on sides: the last Catholic king of England, he
was exiled in France and befriended Rancé.
Several illustrated books of this century deserve special
attention: the Portraits des hommes illustres by Perrault, a fine copy in
contemporary binding and complete with the portraits of Arnauld and Pascal,
censored due to their Jansenism; the truculent anthology of the Cent Nouvelles
Nouvelles illustrated with 100 engraved vignettes by Romeyn de Hooghe (a lovely
copy in 18th century citron morocco) and, also, the delightful Jardin d'hyver
by Jean Franeau printed in Douai in 1616: this "cabinet of botanical
curiosities" is illustrated with 52 engraved plates, depicting flowers and
bouquets by Antoine Serrurier . Finally, Della Cavalleria by Georg Englehard
von Löhneysen (1552-1622) ranks among the most spectacular works ever to have
been issued by a private press. A large folio, printed in 1609 in the author's
castle in Remlingen (Bavaria), the work is an equine encyclopedia. It is
illustrated with 89 remarkable engravings, of which 23 are double-page, as well
as nearly 250 woodcuts
- an extraordinary burst of baroque images.
BOOKS OF THE
ENLIGHTENMENT
A fine selection is devoted to the Enlightenment with the
original editions of Choderlos de Laclos's Liaisons dangereuses, l'Histoire des
singes by Alletz, a pioneering work on ethology, Bougainville's Voyage autour
du monde which was to give birth to the myth of the "noble savage",
Le Sage's Le Diable boiteux, destined to become a phenomenal success, or
Rousseau's Nouvelle Héloïse - first issued as Lettres de deux amants (1761) - a
fine copy in contemporary morocco. Also of note, an autograph letter from Voltaire
to d'Argenson and the renowned Contes et nouvelles en vers by La Fontaine
illustrated by Fragonard (1765).
Along with these celebrated works are curiosities of great
appeal to bibliophiles, such as the Cours des principaux fleuves et rivières de
l'Europe printed at Versailles by King Louis XV, at the age of 8 on his private
press: on which he learned the basics of the art of printing. Jean Bonna's copy
is without equal: it was bound for the Marquise de Pompadour, the future
mistress of the young amateur printer. Also of appeal, the original edition of
La Guirlande de Julie (1729), one of the finest collections of courtship poetry
from the previous century: the copy was bound at the beginning of the 19th
century for the personal library of Josephine and Bonaparte in La Malmaison - a
poetic garland for the wife of the future Emperor.
Finally, the collection also includes a run of 14 first
editions of works by Restif de La Bretonne, the indefatigable chronicler of the
mores of the vanishing Ancien Régime, whose own gallivanting filled his gossip
columns: often self-printed, his works are usually illustrated with engravings
by Binet which add a touch of spice - in accordance with his fantasies:
small-waisted women with small feet.
MANUSCRIPTS AND
LETTERS
This sale gathers nearly 100 autograph documents dating from
the 16th -20th centuries, with fine sets around Baudelaire, Flaubert, Hugo,
Nerval, Proust and Stendhal. To deceive the indiscrete reader, the latter used
pseudonyms, composing letters in a mix of Italian, English and French: for
example, he oddly wrote to his sister in 1810: "You must take the
gouvernail". The letters sent by Baudelaire to his mother are moving and
those concerning Belgium are filled with rage. To this day, the letters
addressed by Flaubert to Louise Colet are masterpieces of amorous
correspondence: "Je suis un des gueulards au désert de la vie"(I am
one of the gripers in the desert of life), he allows. Further, he confesses:
"Je lis du Montaigne maintenant dans mon lit. Je ne connais pas de livre
plus calme & qui vous dispose à plus de sérénité." (I now read
Montaigne in my bed. I know of no book more soothing & which allows one
more serenity)
The hand-written log of observations that Victor Hugo kept
in Guernsey in 1856 renders the poet's spiritualist experiences: visions,
spinning tables... To protect the memory of the great poet, his heirs withheld
this intimate diary. Also, among the 8 autograph letters of Proust offered
here, the one written on July 1, 1919 to the son of the actress Réjane, Jacques
Porel, has some bite. The writer, subletting the actress' apartment on the rue
Laurent-Pichat, complains of the "racket" in the building: "Les
voisins dont me sépare la cloison font l'amour tous les 2 jours avec une frénésie
dont je suis jaloux" (Beyond the partition, the neighbors make love every
two days with a frenzy of which I am jealous)...
Lastly, the set of 24 original letters sent by Guy de
Maupassant to Countess Potocka (1883-1891) is exceptional. In a total of over
120 autograph pages, this extraordinary correspondence from the writer to his
muse and confidante teems with both intimate and literary considerations ;
impressions of travels as well as philosophical notes whilst mirroring the
author's slow descent into the madness which would soon overwhelm him.
BOOKS ILLUSTRATED BY
PAINTERS
This collection houses fine artists' books illustrated by:
Edouard Manet (the copy of his 1875 Corbeau was beautifully bound by Jean de
Gonet), André Masson, Hans Bellmer, Jean Fautrier, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró,
Edgar Tytgat (his rare first Petit Chaperon rouge, London 1917, printed in 15
copies only) Paul Jouve, Raoul dufy (10 original watercolors illustrating La
Chatte by Colette), André derain (5 books illustrated by him, including Le Nez de
Cléopâtre, masterfully bound by Rose Adler), Geneviève Asse, Marcel duchamp (La
Mariée mise à nu), Maurice denis, Henri Matisse (5 books including Mallarmé's
Poésies and Florilège des amours by Ronsard), Joseph Sima, Wols, Juan Gris...
Also, of special interest, L'Homme et son désir by Paul
Claudel, in which the autograph text is illustrated by Audrey Parr in Brazil,
in 1917: its form is that of an accordion over 1,50 meters in length
(approximately 5 feet).
DEDICATIONS AND
PROVENANCE
An additional charm of collecting books lies in the
autograph dedication inscribed by the authors on their works, as well as the
provenance, establishing the genealogy of each book.
If Jean Bonna acquired the first edition of Galileo's
Discorsi e Dimostrazioni matematiche (Leyde, 1638), it is not only because of
his taste for seminal works but, also, because it is a unique copy
magnificently bound for the dedicatee, Count François de Noailles. Its binding
was executed at the time by Le Gascon in morocco, entirely covered with a
splendid gilt decor "à la fanfare". Not only is this the most
beautiful copy known, but it is unquestionably one of the best association
copies to be found: it could be compared to the colored copy of Fuchs bound for
Jacques-Auguste de Thou (Pierre Bergé library) or Newton's Principia, annotated
by Leibniz (Bodmer Foundation, Geneva).
It is this notion of association that imparts the very depth
of the dedications apposed by the authors on the title page of their works.
Thus, Bloy addressing to Rachilde Sueur de sang, his very
dark anthology devoted to the War of 1870, tersely inscribes: "Voici la
gueule du Monstre." (Here is the Monster's mug) As a sort of revenge, the
turbulent high school student from Rouen, expelled for lack of discipline, gifts
his freshly printed Madame Bovary with this delectable dedication: "à mon
ami Mr Dainez, mon ancien professeur de mathématiques, le plus dévoué et le
plus âne de ses élèves, Gustave Flaubert." (To my friend Mr. Dainez, my
old math teacher, the most devoted and dumbest of his students...)
Addressing his anthology Charmes, to his former classmate
and friend André Gide, Paul Valéry has written: "Que diable veux-tu que je
mette ici ? Tante cose !" (What the devil do you want me to put here? So
many things!) Indeed, "so many things" bound these two.
Unmistakably,
and by far, the two most touching dedications of this collection are those
inscribed by Jorge-Luis Borges on his first two books, Fervor de Buenos Aires
and Luna de enfrente, for these are dedicated to his lifelong friend Maurice
Abramovicz. The two were classmates at the Lycée Calvin in Geneva and remained
close forever. At the end of his life, after the death of Abramovicz, Borges
dedicated a text in his Los Conjurados: "Esta noche puedo llorar como un hombre,
puedo sentir que por mis mejillas las lágrimas resbalan, porque sé que en la
tierra no hay una sola cosa que sea mortal y que no proyecte su sombra."
(Tonight I can weep like a man; I can feel the tears because I know that on
this earth not one thing is mortal and which does not cast its shadow.)
The shadows cast by the books of bygone authors assembled by
the bibliophile, are testimony to an uninterrupted life, from one collector to
another. What if this celebration of the mind, this effervescence of books,
were, in the end, the best definition of bibliophilia?
* The two volumes devoted to the 16th century have now been
published. They follow the three volumes published earlier, devoted to the 17th
and 18th centuries. Vérène de Soultrait is now editing the next volume devoted
to the incunabula.
Fuente : Publicnow
