Collection: Livres illustrés anciens
Chez KOEGUI, nous collationnons chaque pièce contre le Cohen avant de la proposer : présence des planches d’origine, états, marges. Vous trouverez ici des livres illustrés avant le XIXe par des artistes tels que de Moreau le Jeune. Estimation gratuite pour faire évaluer votre exemplaire ; pour le siècle suivant, voir nos livres illustrés modernes.
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Intaglio and ornament: two printing methods. The confusion is common: copper engravings (etchings, including the frontispiece) are never printed on the same press as the typographic text. They are printed using the intaglio method, on a separate hand press, before being inserted in their place in the volume. Only wood-engraved ornaments (tailpieces, ornate letters, headers) are printed with the text. A tipped-in plate, from another print run or another copy, can be detected by eye on the paper and on the margins. We systematically indicate it.
The KOEGUI method: collation against Cohen. Our reference for 18th-century illustrated books is Cohen's "Guide de l’amateur de livres à gravures du XVIIIe siècle." Each copy is collated plate by plate: number, order, states (proof before letteror with letter), paper (large paper or regular edition). The completeness of the plates and their non-tipped-in origin constitute the primary selection filter. As members of SLAM and LILA, we offer free appraisals for any copy presented, whether from an inheritance or a private collection.
A flagship copy: La Pucelle d’Orléansby Voltaire, illustrated by Duplessis-Bertaux (Paris, 1780), first print run, frontispiece and 21 intaglio engraved headpieces, large paper in-8 whereas the regular edition is published in in-18. The large paper here is not a luxury display: the plates are printed with clean margins that allow confirmation of the state and origin. See also Voltaire's La Henriade illustrated by Moreau le Jeune (1789) and Lesage's Le diable boiteux with Adolphe Lalauze's etchings(1880).
Our collection: art book · artist's book · wood engraving
The first print run is evident on the plates as much as on the title page. A proof before letter, printed before any inscription engraved under the motif (neither title, nor caption, nor signature), indicates an early state, before the wear of the plate. We collate each piece against Cohen to confirm the state. Doubt about your copy? Free appraisal.
The paper run makes all the difference. The regular edition is published in in-18; the large paper in-8 offers wider margins, more clearly printed plates, and often a superior binding. The completeness of Duplessis-Bertaux's 21 plates and the absence of tipped-in plates do the rest.
A tipped-in plate comes from another copy or another print run: slightly different paper, margins that do not match the volume. It visually completes an incomplete book but reduces its value. At KOEGUI, any copy with a tipped-in plate is indicated, never hidden.
Yes. KOEGUI, a member of SLAM and LILA, offers a free, no-obligation appraisal. Send photos of the title page, the colophon, and two or three plates: we will respond with information on the state, edition, and current market range.