PANSERON, Pierre (ca 1736-87). Recueil De Jardins Anglois et Chinois. Second Volume. Paris: Chez l 'Auteur, Desnos, Mondhare & Basan, 1783.

Volume II (of 3?) only (Cahiers 1-3). 4to (270 x 202mm). Engraved text: title, preface leaf and 2-pp. catalogue; 17 (of 18) full-page engravings, and10 large folding plates, all hand-colored (a few full-page plates with minor dampstains to extreme upper margins, some folding plates with discreet repaired tears where inserted at gutter [extending into image in a few cases], one folding plate with short separation repaired along one fold repaired). In contemporary French mottled calf gilt (some wear to spine ends and corners, some minor worming to upper cover).    FIRST EDITION of the second volume of Panseron's Recueil de Jardinage. Consisting of three series of 6 plates each, of which the first plate of the first series is not present (as in the copy cited below), showing detailed designs of English and Chinese gardens, and 10 large folding general plans ("dispositions") of houses and gardens. Panseron had studied with the great French architect Jacques Francois Blondel and had been building inspector for the Prince de Conti and professor of drawing at the Royal Military Academy before he settled at Paris as a private tutor of architecture and drawing. All plates were designed and engraved by Panseron personally. The plates of the present work are beautifully designed, engraved and colored, presenting a rich and wonderful survey of gardening in France in the second half of the 18th century when English and Chinese gardens were in fashion. VERY RARE: the only other copy sold at auction over at least the past 40 years, was part of a five-volume set of Penseron 's works, Sotheby 's New York, 23 November 2014, lot 323.  Thieme-Becker XXVI: 203; Nagler XII, 75.
 
Selections from Antiquariat Botanicum, Dr. Eugene Vigil