Musées

Catalogue systématique et raisonné des curiosités de la nature et de l’art qui composent le cabinet de M. Davila avec figures en taille-douce.

1767 · 3939 — Paris:: M. Lambert for Briasson 1767. SOLE EDITION. Three tall octavo volumes:. 19.5 x 12.8 cm. Vol I: xxxvi 571 pages.; Vol II: vj 656 pages; Vol III: vi 290 286 1 pp. Collation: I. a-b8 c2 A-Z8 Aa-Mm8 Nn6 plus 22 plates; II. a3 A-Z8 Aa-Ss8; III. a3 A-S8 T4 a-s8 plus 8 plates Bound in contemporary mottled calf spines gilt with morocco labels light wear small imperfections. Internally all three volumes are in excellent condition. All 30 plates are crisp and in fine impressions. First and sole edition of this comprehensive catalogue of the collection of Pedro Francisco Dávila. The Dávila catalog as it has become known describes 8096 mineral specimens that encompass a large range of localities including a suite of specimens from Potosí in Spanish America as well as many items from Canada Mexico and Paraguay. In addition the catalog lists 5253 shells 600 preserved animals 101 plants 3915 fossils 154 bezoars and calculi and 402 books. Over 12000 prints and engravings 1741 original artworks 441 maps as well as various scientific instruments and precious stones are also described. "Pedro Francisco Dávila possessor of the largest collection of natural history specimens in Paris and wishing to establish an institution in Spain to preserve it approached King Carlos III of Spain. But political difficulties and an approaching war with England distracted the king who declined the purchase. Because of debts incurred building the collection creditors forced Dávila to put the accumulation up for auction in Paris. For this purpose a detailed collection catalog was required. Dávila had already written many descriptions but it was his introduction through Balthasar Sage to the young Romé de l'Isle that created this remarkable record of the collection. "Romé de l'Isle took the existing material added considerably to the mineralogical descriptions and put the catalog into publishable form. In this task he was assisted by Abbé Duguat who helped with the mineralogical descriptions and Abbé Gua de Malves 1712-1786 who described the shells. Through their efforts two volumes describing natural history specimens were produced one of which was entirely devoted to minerals. In addition a third volume written by Romé de l'Isle probably with assistance from Pierre Remy describes the fossils artwork and books. The published catalog provides a detailed insight into his collection his special tastes and preferences. The major value of the collection lay in its superb mineral specimens many of which were finely crystallized examples. Romé de l'Isle fully described the many fine mineralogical specimens which included examples of native silver from Norway cassiterite from the Dutch East Indies crocoite from Siberia pyrite from Columbia and calcite from Saxony etc. Dávila had been a collector for over 20 years when his accumulation was auctioned. In that time he or his agents had acquired specimens at other auctions including those that liquidated the collections of Albertus Seba in 1752 the Abbé Joly de Fleury in 1755 Claude Geoffroy in 1753 and others. Dávila's catalog received wide distribution in Paris London Amsterdam Rotterdam and Basle. This helped push the total realized by Dávila to over 800000 Spanish reales more than enough to pay of his creditors and to finance a second collection which he immediately began to build. Within two or three years he had again amassed a sizable collection specializing in minerals and selected with more knowledge and experience than his first collection had been. Once again he dreamed of establishing the cabinet in Madrid. In October 1771 this became reality when King Carlos III agreed to take over his collections with Dávila serving as director for life. This enormous collection eventually passed into the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid where Dávila's specimens are still preserved today."The Mineralogical Record Conlon 67:1238; Nissen ZBI 1050; Sinkankas 1594; Wilson History of Mineral Collecting 1994: 136-40 166 & 209 provides a detailed history of the collections M. Lambert for Briasson, unknown books