royal copy in fine red morocco

Scarce and impressive work on cavalry: beautiful red morocco copy of the Prince de Condé, a great grandson of King Louis XIV and a great military general.

Dedicated to Louis XVI, the 32 superb and very large plates represent different aspects of the instruction of an individual horseman and of dressage, as well as cavalry formations and tactical manoeuvres. Each horseman and each horse is drawn individually and shown against a countryside backdrop. Most of the plates have a descriptive cartouche in addition to the explanations in the text volume.

The author, of Scottish origin, was a Lieutenant-General of Cavalry who saw active service in Germany, Italy and Flanders between 1735 and 1762.

2 vol. Text folio (44 x 29 cm), atlas broadsheet (65 x 50 cm).
Text: engraved frontispiece by Ingouf l'aîné, title page with engraved vignette by Macret, dedication with engraved head-piece by Bruneau, each part with 3 engraved vignettes (including 2 by Louis-Nicolas Van Blarenberghe), 2 engraved tail-pieces, one engraving by Van Blarenberghe at end, and 11 plates; frontispiece and title with foxing.
Atlas with 32 double-page plates, including 3 folding, most after Van Blarenberghe (1 and 24 not signed, 21 by Dupuis); a few marginal closed tears. Contemporary full red morocco gilt, spines with raised bands, atlas with gilt arms to covers, gilt edges.

Mennessier I-408; Brunet II-842; Nathalie Lemoine-Bouchard, L.-N. van Blarenberghe et le Traité sur la cavalerie de Drummond de Melfort, Histoire de l'art, 1999, page 57-69; not in Mellon. Cf. OHR 2365-7 for the arms.