Abbrégé de l'art des accouchemens
“This edition dated 1769 is more rare and cost more than the 1777 edition mentioned by Lehec” (Université de Poitiers).
“A new edition was published in 1769 enriched with color plates. The color-engraved plates, which were very rare at the time in medical or anatomy textbooks, give to this book a special value”.
“This copy appears to be the one dedicated to Mr. Bernard de Balinvilliers, intendant of Auvergne” (A. Dinoux, 1858).
Precious and beautiful copy mentioned by Olivier (Pl. 244) bound in contemporary decorated morocco with the arms of Marquis de la Corée (1720-1784).
8vo of X pp. ; 189 pp. ; 1 l. ; 26 colored plates ; 1 portrait.
Contemporary red morocco, gold lace with butterflies framing the plates, gilt arms in the center, smooth decorated spine, gilt edges.
197 x 125 mm.
Le Boursier du Coudray, Angélique Marguerite. Abbrégé de l'art des accouchemens, Dans lequel on donne les préceptes nécessaires pour le mettre heureusement en pratique. On y a joint plusieurs Observations intéressantes sur des cas singuliers.
Saintes, Pierre Toussaints, 1769.
First illustrated edition of this text first published in 1759, by one of the most famous obstetricians of the reign of Louis XV, « who was appointed and sent by the king to teach the art of childbirth throughout the kingdom ».
It includes 26 etchings printed in color using Le Blon’s trichromatic process by Jean Robert, his student from 1738 to 1741, engraved from drawings by P. Chaparre.
The frontispiece features a black-and-white portrait of Angélique du Coudray, also engraved by Robert.
Madame Du Coudray (Clermont-Ferrand, 1712 ; Bordeaux, 1790) She received a royal document in 1759 to teach obstetrics throughout the Kingdom of France, and trained approximately 5,000 midwives over the course of 25 years. To supplement her teaching, she published an “Abrégé de l’art des accouchements” (A Summary of the Art of Childbirth) intended for aspiring midwives. A new edition was published in 1769, enriched with color plates. The color-engraved plates—which were very rare at the time in medical or anatomy textbooks—lend this book a special value. These illustrations were intended to serve as visual aids for midwives, not all of whom could read, as they follow the order of Mme Du Coudray’s lessons. In the book’s preface, the midwife explains the purpose of these plates, which she specifically requested in color: “(…) I am adding to my second edition plates that will remind my students of my own demonstrations; and to make them even more vivid, I had them illuminated, so that the different colors would provide greater clarity regarding the subjects.”
The first edition was published in 1759 and the first edition with coloured plates in 1769.
This book was a huge bestseller and was reprinted many times by order of the king, who was then pursuing a pro-birth policy: his goal was, of course, to protect mothers in distress during childbirth, but above all to repopulate the kingdom. To this end, he sent Madame Du Coudray throughout the kingdom to establish courses for trainee midwives in rural areas and for anyone interested in learning this craft. To this end, she invented a device—an “artificial woman”—that allowed her to demonstrate the practice of childbirth and prevent accidents. To complement her course, Marguerite Du Coudray’s book was printed in various provincial towns and distributed or sold to students. The book features a portrait of the famous midwife on the frontispiece and is accompanied by twenty-six intaglio plates engraved in color by Jean Robert after Chapparre. The first plate is in two colors (yellow and black), the second in four colors (yellow, black, red, and blue—the blue in this plate was hand-painted); the remaining plates are in three colors (yellow, black, and red). A student of Le Blon, Jean Robert was one of the first, following in his master’s footsteps, to attempt to develop a three-color printing process, using a method of color recomposition inspired by Newton’s theory.
A last leaf regarding M. de Lacoré, intendant of France Comté was added at the end of the volume.
A precious and beautiful copy in contemporary morocco with the arms of marquis de la Corée.
Charles-André, Marquis of Corée, Lord of Saint-Ouen, son of Charles-Etienne and Jeanne-Thérèse Bonneau, born in Paris on August 24, 1720, was appointed counselor to the Parliament of Paris in 1741, Master of Requests on July 18, 1749, President of the Grand Council on April 9, 1756, Intendant of Montauban in December 1758, then of Franche-Comté in May 1761, and finally a Councilor of State in May 1784; he died in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône on November 2, 1784.
