Title-page: IDYLLES | DE BION | ET | DE MOSCHUS, | TRADUITES EN FRANÇAIS | Par J. B. Gail, Professeur de littéra- | ture grecque au collège de France. | Ouvrage orné de Figures dessinées par le Barbier. | DE L’IMPRIMERIE DE DIDOT JEUNE. | A PARIS, | Chez Gail, au Collège de France, place | Cambrai. | L’AN TROISIEME. ||
Small volume in-12mo, 14.7 x 10 cm, bound in tree calf with gilt ornamental border, flat spine with gilt lozenges in compartments, lacking upper label and half of the lower label, gilt dentelle inside, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt.
Collation: 1st and last leaves blank, [1]-96, total 54 leaves and 9 engraved plates, incl. frontispiece.
Pagination: [1-5] 6-106 [2] (notice), total 108 pages, ils.
Illustrations:
(1) Frontispiece bust portrait of Jean-Baptiste Gail in two states, one proof before letters signed Le Barbier del., — C. S. Gaucher inc. a. ƒ., the other in finished state lettered « J. B. Gail | Professeur de littérature grecque | au collège de France » signed Le Barbier del. — C. S. Gaucher incid.
(2) Le tombeau d’Adonis in two states, the first unsigned, the second signed by Le Barbier and Gaucher in Greek Λε Βαρβιερ εγραφε — Γαυχερ εχαλχενε, with tissue guard.
(3) Enlèvement d’Europe in two states, the first signed Baquoy fecit., the second Le Barbier inv. — Delignon Sculp.
(4) Amour du fleuve Alphée pour la fontaine Aréthuse in two states, the first unsigned, the second signed Le Barbier inv. — Dambrun.
(5) Daphnis et Naïs only in final state signed by Le Barbier and Gaucher in Greek Λε Βαρβιερ εγρφε — Γαυχερ εχαλχενε. (sic.)
Catalogue raisonné: Cohen-DeRicci 151-2, attributes to 1895, in-18, Daphnis et Naïs without the proof state; Lewine 64, “very scarce, particularly that of the portrait, a fancy price”.
Contributors:
Bion [Βίων] (fl. late 2nd century BCE, Phlossa near Smyrna) – author.
Moschus [Μόσχος] (fl. mid 2nd century BCE, Syracuse) – author.
Jean-Baptiste Gail (French, 1755 – 1829) – translator.
Jean-Jacques-François Le Barbier (French, 1738 – 1826) – artist.
Charles-Étienne Gaucher (French, 1740 – 1804) – engraver.
Jean-Louis Delignon (French, 1755 – 1820) – engraver.
Jean Dambrun (1741 – 1808/14) – engraver.
Pierre François Didot, Le Jeune (French, 1732 – 1795) – publisher.
