MERIGOT, Jr. GIRARDIN. - Lot 85

MERIGOT, Jr. GIRARDIN. A Walk or Guide to the Gardens of Ermenonville. Paris: Mérigot Père, 1788. In-8, (4)-68 pp. with wide margins, 25 plates numbered 0 through 24, and a double plate of musical notes printed on azure paper. Contemporary fawn-colored speckled half-basane leather, smooth spine, red morocco title label with gilt title (upper cap slightly worn, spine rubbed, corners rounded, some marginal foxing). Rare printing of the first edition. This volume features a variant of the title page, clearly intended for copies from one or more special printings: it bears no price indication, is adorned with a small vignette depicting a “ruin” framed by two trees, and lists only Mérigot père as the bookseller in the imprint (according to The Morgan Library & Museum). The other printings from 1788 bear the address: Paris, at Mérigot père, Gattey, and Guyot; and Ermenonville, at Murray. Developed by René de Girardin beginning in the 1760s, Ermenonville became one of the most famous examples of the French landscape garden. Its history remains closely linked to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who was hosted by Girardin in 1778. The philosopher spent the last weeks of his life there and was buried on Île des Peupliers, where Girardin had his tomb built. Illustrated with 25 aquatints drawn by Mérigot the Younger based on sketches by the Girardin family, they depict the gardens, their ornaments, and the main buildings of the Ermenonville estate, along with its landscaping, as they appeared in the late 18th century. DESERTS. The two music sheets for the *Chanson du Berger de la Grotte verte* (Song of the Shepherd of the Green Grotto), with lyrics and music by the Marquis de Girardin, are printed on azure laid paper. Cohen, 704. Morgan Library and Museum, PML 195837.