Bidspirit auction | Eugéne Plon

Eugéne Plon - Benvenuto Cellini - Eugéne Plon, 1883. Published in 1883 by the prestigious Parisian publisher E. Plon et Cie, Imprimeurs-Éditeurs, this monumental monograph on Benvenuto Cellini, authored by Eugène Plon, constitutes an exhaustive biographical and critical study of the life and work of the brilliant goldsmith, medalist, and sculptor of the Italian Renaissance. It includes a detailed catalog, unpublished documents, and facsimiles of manuscripts. The work, of an imposing format (29.5 x 36.5 cm) with 414 pages, stands out for its exceptional graphic excellence, being illustrated with 14 magnificent etchings by Paul le Rat, in a total of 82 separately printed plates and 18 engravings integrated into the text pages, making up the 84 referenced plates. The copy is presented in an elegant and robust period half-leather binding with corners, with a ribbed spine ornamented with fine tooling and gilt titles, and covers covered in marbled paper, retaining the characteristic top edge of the leaves gilt at the head and the remaining margins untrimmed, and is in very good overall condition. The pedigree of this copy is of the highest category for national collecting, displaying on the interior panel the heraldic ex-libris of the illustrious library of J. G. Mazziotti Salema Garção, accompanied on the flyleaf by detailed handwritten notes in collector's pencil that document with historical precision its provenance and acquisition at the prestigious Auction No. 41 of the Soares & Mendonça auction house (Lot No. 2297, dated November 1980), constituting a piece of great artistic relevance and an unusual bibliophilic possession.