Drouot

rif. BIBLIO-65503 — Etienne Charavay Paris auction catalogues for the sale held on 18th and 19th February 1884 and from 19th-21st June 1884. 2 vols in 1 contemporary quarter-morocco and marbled boards with green corner-tips marbled endpapers 4to. iv 184 vii 1; v-x 1 185- 488 xvii 2 pp numerous facsimiles plates ills. Lots 1-502 and 503-1337 Includes the first six of a total of twelve series the remaining six not present here being VII .Artistes DramatiquesVIII. Peintres sculpteurs architectes et graveurs. IX. Compositeurs de musique. X. Chanteurs et cantatrices. XI. Huguenots. XII. Femmes. From Simon Gratz’s ‘A Book About Autographs’: ‘One of the best collections that ever fell under the hammer of the auctioneer was that of Alfred Bovet which was sold in Paris in 1887. The catalogue - prepared by Etienne Charavay with a very interesting preface - is an unusually handsome 4to volume . with hundreds of fac-similes. . M. Bovet commenced the formation of this collection in the year 1869; and the earnestness and enthusiasm with which he devoted himself to the pursuit of his hobby are shown by the fact that in nineteen years he had acquired this splendid aggregation of letters and documents many of which had previously been in the noted collections of Chambry Trémont Dubrunfaut Fillon and Sensier." Etienne Charavay discusses at great length the excellence of Bovet’s collection and of his own catalogue of it in his ‘La science des autographes : essai critique.’ Covers rubbed and scuffed head of spine slightly torn and some edge-wear to boards minor edge-loss to front free endpaper and upper fore-edge corner of flyleaf torn awayendpapers browned contents mildly agetoned. Etienne Charavay, Paris, auction catalogues for the sale held on 18th and 19th February 1884 and from 19th-21st June 1884 hardcover