Jacques-Antony Chovin La Danse des Morts Comme Plates by Matthew Merian 1789 Edition Published by Jean Rod. Im-Hof & Fils

La Danse des Morts Comme elle est dépeinte dans La Louable et ce’lebre Ville de Basle
“The Dance of the Dead As portrayed in La Louable and the famous Ville de Basle”

Matthew (Matthäus) Merian (1593-1650) copperplate illustrations was copied by Jacques-Antony Chovin (1720-1776). This book with plates were published from 1744 to 1830.
At the beginning, Chovin’s book was….“were bilingual right from the beginning: All of the edifying writings from Merian's book were included in a German and a French version. The German verses were very freely translated into baroque French verses, that according to the translator's whim were four, six and eight lines.”
First published by A Basle, Jean Rod. Im-Hop & Fils and later Chovin's engravings were published by J. L. Fuchs & co., and by then the book had become trilingual: An English translation had been added, and the book's introduction was written in German, French and English.
Matthäus Merian is considered to be the person who has made the most complete and reliable representation of the dance of death in Basel.

A synopsis of the book:
…”43 scenes of macabre dance engraved on copper in the text, headboards and end pieces with similar motifs engraved on wood, German text in Gothic type, and French in front in Roman type, slight marginal reddening, some small flowering, a note erased in ink”

missing page 107-108
                      115-116
                      121-122
                      135-136
                      137-138

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Year: 1789
Publisher Jean Rod. Im-Hof & Fils
French and German Text

The cover sets this edition apart and has made this a unique edition. The common practice is to have a uniformity of book binding for a collection but at some point this edition’s cover has been replaced with a printed black board with the ever so cautionary motif of the skull and crossbones. 

Condition: the pages and printing are great, the rag paper is very statable, the binding is starting to separate and the cover is detached. Page 120 has a tear, please see the image. The black board has wear and aging, the printed skull and crossbones are still in very good condition.
Please see the images provided for more details. 

If you have any question or if you need additional images, please feel free to contact me.

NOTE:
The price listed is for US buyers only, if you are an overseas buyer please email me your mailing address before purchase to get a shipping quote.