BLONDEL, JACQUES-FRANCOIS.

Architecture Francoise, ou Recueil des Plans, Elevations, Coupes et profils des Eglises, Maisons Royales, Palais, Hôtels & Edifices les plus considérables de Paris, ainsi que des Château & Maisons de plaisance situés aux environs de cette Ville, ou en d'autres endroits de la France, bâtis par les plus célébres Architectes, & mesuré exactement sur les lieux. Avec la description de ce Edifices, & des dissertations utiles & intéressantes sur chaque espece de Bâtiment. Tome Premier - Second (of 4).

Paris, Charles-Antoine Jombert, 1752.

Folio. (47,5 x 32 cm.). Bound uncut in 2 contemp. hcalf. (Text and plates bound separately). Gilt spines. Titlelabels with gilt lettering. Light wear to spine-ends. A few small nicks and minor scratches. A paperlabel pasted on upper part of spines. Stamps on title-page. 2 engraved title-vignettes, 2 large engraved textvignettes. (IV) V-IX,(3),298,(2);(4),164 pp., 307 engravings on 302 engraved sheets (152 and 148 +), many double-page and folding. Some engraved textillustrations. Wide-margined. A few quires with light browning. A few plates with light marginal brownspotting. Printed on good paper.

First edition. The first volume concerns Fauburg Saint-Germain, volume II: Luxembourg, Cité, Fauburg Saint-Antoine et Marais.
"In his clear and rational Architecture françoise, a four-volume work published from 1752 to 1756, he covered the past century and more of French buildings in and near Paris, setting them in their historical context and providing a wealth of detailed information that would otherwise have been lost. In the preface, he remarked, "I have used simple terms and a popular style with the intention of being understood by layman and artist alike; having noticed that recent books about architecture are either badly organised or overlong."He originally planned eight volumes, but only the first four were published. The work brought him to official notice; he was inducted into the Académie Royale d'Architecture in 1755 and appointed architect to Louis XV." (wikiwand.com).
"Le grand mérite de ce livre est de nous conserver les dessins de nombre d'édifices qui sont oujourdhui ou entièrement détruits ou tout à fait dénaturés; malheureusement l'ouvrage, qui devait avoir 8 vol. et renfermer 1200 pl., n'a pas été terminé..."(Brunet I,977).

Order-nr.: 55471