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COLLÉ, Charles.
Henri IV’s Hunting Party, a comedy in three acts, in prose.
Paris: Published by Veuve Duchesne and Gueffier, 1766.
Fees include commission and taxes.
Henri IV’s Hunting Party, a comedy in three acts, in prose.
Paris: Published by Veuve Duchesne and Gueffier, 1766.
Small 8vo. (2)-IX-120 pp., frontispiece portrait by Marillier and Godin, 4 black-and-white engravings after Gravelot. Contemporary olive morocco, smooth spine decorated with gilt panels and fleurs-de-lis, gilt title, gilt coat of arms embossed in the centre of the covers, triple gilt fillet framing the covers, fleurs-de-lis in the spandrels, gilt fillet on the edges, gilt edges, gilded garland on the fore-edges, pink tunic endpapers (small tear on the front cover, a few scattered stains and pinholes, title page restored around the edges, spine slightly faded).
First edition. Bearing the coat of arms of the Duke of Chartres (small iron stamp) added later to the covers, probably Prince Robert d’Orléans. First edition of this play, which would later become a manifesto in support of what would come to be known as ‘Orléanism’.
First performed in 1762 at the Duke of Orléans’ theatre (Acts II and III of the final printed version of our copy), it was not included in the repertoire of the Comédie Française. Charles Collé, playwright, chansonier and goguettier, one of the founders of the Société du Caveau, a bacchanalian and literary society, reworked it; in its modified form, printing was authorised in 1766, but Louis XV opposed its performance in Paris: the ideal of a monarchy rooted in the people, sidelining the nobility and the court, was deemed subversive. Louis XVI authorised it, and it enjoyed great success from 1774 onwards: it was performed as frequently as The Marriage of Figaro until the Revolution. Favoured by the Restoration, which had adopted the figure of Henry IV as a model of government, it continued to be performed until the early 20th century Cioranescu, XVIII, 20080. Cohen, 246. Thiébaud, 888.
Hand-drawn bookplate, Loiseau 1795.