BLIN DE SAINMORE. Lettre de Sapho à Phaon, précédée d’une épître à Rosine, etc., par M. Blin de Sainmore. Paris, Sébastien Jorry, 1767, 8vo. 3 illustrations, including a tail-piece by Choffard.
The latter, touched up and dated 1801, appears in Basan’s “Dictionnaire des Graveurs.” This book, together with other opuscules of Blin de Sainmore, was republished under the title of “Héroïdes” or “Lettres en vers,” Paris, S. Jorry, 1767, 5 vols., 8vo, and contains the same plates. There are some holland paper copies.
BOCCACE. Il Decamerone di M. Giovanni Boccaccio. Londra (Paris), 1757, 5 vols., 8vo. Profusely illustrated. There are 4 tail-pieces Choffard engraved after Gravelot.
The first proofs are marked with a “paraphe” on the lower part of the back of each plate and it looks like a small script monogram. The volumes containing these are most sought after. All copies are on holland paper. There exist proofs before the artists’ names and in various other states. The pictures in the Italian edition are accepted as the first impressions from the plates. There are, however, copies of the French edition which contain proofs with the “paraphe” and they were placed in the volumes at the time of issue.
The French edition of this book, “Le Décameron de Jean Boccace, traduit par Le Maçon,” Londres (Paris), 1757, 5 vols., 8vo, contains the same plates and tail-pieces as in the Italian edition. This translation, published by the same editors as those of the Italian edition, is much sought after, although the proofs of the full-page plates and especially of the tail-pieces, are not as fine. There was one issue on large paper, which is less good than the small paper copies. Some collectors put full-page plates of the Italian edition into their copy of the French edition; nevertheless, they cannot hide the inferiority of the tail-pieces. These latter are even repeated in several parts of the book and are not put at the same places as in the original edition. Note that the full-page plate which belongs to the first “Nouvelle” of the eighth “Journée” is different in the French edition from that in the Italian one.
There are several re-issues of this work, which are very inferior to that of 1757.
BOCCACE. Estampes Galantes des Contes du Boccace. A Londres, 1759, 4to. A title-frontispiece and 20 plates designed by Gravelot. Choffard engraved the title-page.
BOCCHERINI (Luigi). Douze Nouveaux Quintetti; pour deux violons, deux violoncelles et alto, par Luigi Boccherini, etc., œuvre 37, Prix 9 fr. A Paris, chez Ignace Pleyel, etc., large 4to. Title-page by Choffard.
BRISEUX. Traité du Beau Essentiel dans les Arts, appliqué particulièrement à l’Architecture, etc., par le sieur C. E. Briseux, architecte. Paris, chez l’auteur et chez Chereau, 1752, 2 vols., 4to. 6 tail-pieces by Choffard and 2 architectural drawings engraved by the same artist. One tail and a head-piece are in Choffard’s style, but are unsigned. This draughtsman may likewise have engraved some of the architectural plates that bear no signature. Also many plates by other artists.
A sumptuous book with the text engraved.