Sédaine

1781 · 142344 — London: 1781. A beautifully illustrated collection of erotic songs First editions of two licentious songbooks bound together as usual here featuring a red and green streaked design on the covers. Lalleman and Sedaine's lyrics combine devilries fantasy and eroticism and are brought to life by detailed and animated engravings. Lalleman and Sedaine's text was published during a "moment in French literary history when erotic freedom paired with intellectual liberty" Ganofsky p. 231. As libertine writers their contemporaries included the Marquis de Sade and Choderlos de Laclos. Like many erotic texts of the time Le Pot Pourri de Loth and Le Tentations de Saint Antoine are subversions of Christian tales. This appropriation of sacred stories may appear merely to be intended to shock and titillate. However in a typically libertine manner the authors had a secondary aim to demonstrate "a certain audacity and independence with respect to what is traditionally and institutionally held as sacred" and thereby to "highlight that libertinism stems from intellectual emancipation" Ganofsky p. 231. 2 works bound in 1 187 x 124 mm. With 18 engraved plates by Elluin after Borel not signed 20 pp. of music. Contemporary French calf mottled then streaked in red and green smooth spine divided by gilt rolls with floral motifs red morocco label gilt triple-fillet border to sides gilt rolls to board edges and turn-ins marbled endpapers edges gilt green silk bookmarker. Small red ink stamp to front free endpaper verso. Head of spine repaired short splits to head and foot of rear joint front board gently bowed couple of red marks to half-title. A very good copy. Barbier Dictionnaire des ouvrages anonymes 2nd edition vol. III p. 60; Cohen 462-463; Gay Bibliographie des ouvrages relatifs à l'amour 2nd edition vol. VI p. 317. Marine Ganofsky "Sacred or profane pleasures Erotic ceremonies in eighteenth-century French libertine fiction" Religion in the Age of Enlightenment vol. 5 2015. unknown