Sensuyt le jardin de plaisance

Gothic in-folio in two columns, woodcut illustrations (N., Rés., Ye 787).

Framed title, 199 numbered leaves and 3 leaves. At the end: Here ends the table of this present book entitled The Garden of Pleasure and Flower of Rhetoric. Newly printed in Lyon by Olivier Arnollet. On the last leaf, the device of Martin Boullon.

Red morocco with flaps, double gilt fillet framing the covers, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets, edges chiseled and gilt. Binding signed Aussourd circa 1910.

244 x 170 mm.

“Famous illustrated poetic art from the early 16th century, with more than 40 authors serving as examples: Villon (about 20 pieces, before revision by Clément Marot, with the famous Frères humains qui après nous vivrez), Charles d’Orléans, Coquillart, Crétin, Christine de Pisan, Gréban, Molinet, O. de Saint-Gelais, A. Chartier, Le Franc, Meschinot” (Bechtel, J.72).

“This edition of the famous Jardin de Plaisance is generally dated to 1525. It is very difficult to find, like the few other editions published in the first quarter of the 16th century. Baudrier reports that the bookseller Boullon was active from 1493 to 1538 (Bibliographie lyonnaise, III, page 57). Printer Arnouillet was active from 1517 to 1552.

The author of this famous anthology is not known. He seems to refer to himself in a poem (verso of f. 9) under the name of Jourdain, called “L’Infortuné”. It is by this nickname that he is mentioned in other contemporary works, such as Fabri's Art of Rhetoric.

In addition to the numerous poems by Villon it contains, this collection is one of the first books to restore poems by Charles d’Orléans to us.

Le Jardin de Plaisance was reprinted in 1910 by the Société des Anciens Textes Français, thus confirming the exceptional importance of this work for the study of poetry in the 15th century” (Jean-Paul Barbier. Ma bibliothèque poétique – Geneva 1973, no. 37).

Very precious Gothic edition, extremely rare, of the largest and most important of the early 16th-century poetic anthologies.

Brunet III, 507 and following; Lachèvre I. p. 10 and 11. III. C.; Cat. Rothschild IV, no. 2799, pages 104 and following).

Anthologies occupy a place of prime importance in the history of poetry in the 15th and early 16th centuries.

Alongside the court, the anthology represents an intellectual meeting place for different poets and an entire culture, and the first step in spreading the lyrical tradition.

First manuscript, then printed, these anthologies have been very rarely reprinted in modern times.

A monument of poetic culture and taste at the end of the 15th century, Le Jardin de Plaisancehas thus preserved for us a very rich reserve of poetic works from both famous authors and anonymous amateurs.

Its date of composition and scale give it the character of a true synthesis of all courtly poetry from Guillaume de Machaut to the “grand rhétoriques”.

This edition contains the poems of François Villon (before revision by Clément Marot, including the famous Ballade des pendus (on folio 72v/73r).

This edition includes 302 pieces: 31 long pieces (two “sig.” and one rondeau), of which thirteen have been attributed, and 271 short pieces—ballades, rondeaux, etc.—of which fifty-one could be assigned to their authors.

The 65 signed or attributed pieces belong to the following authors: Alexis (Guil), Blosseville, Busnois (Antoine), Caillau (Jehan), Calais (Jehan de), Caulier (Achille), Chartier (Alain), Chastellain (Georges), Clermont (M. de), Crétin (G.), Dauche (Pierre), Deschamps (Eustache), D'Orléans (Ch), Frédet, Garencières, Granson (Oton de), Hérenc (Bauldet), Jourdain called l’Infortuné, La Vigne (A. de), Le Rousselet, Machaut (Guil. De), Michault (Pierre), Milet (Pierre), Molinet (Jehan), Pisan (Christine de), Robert de Blois, Saint-Gelais (Octovien de), Taillevent (Michaut le Caron, called), Taïs (Mgr. De), Vaillant, Villon.

The J.P. Barbier copy, washed, has the last leaf re-margined and a modern binding by Cuzin.

Two copies have come on the market in the last 50 years: The first: J.P. Barbier (1974); Lardanchet (Cat. 73, 1980 – 20,000 FF), and Librairie Sourget (Cat. V, 1988 – 120,000 FF or €18,000); the second: Librairie Thomas-Scheler in May 2003 (€40,000) 18 years ago.

The present copy, complete, unwashed, has all its original leaves.