Volume I of Oeuvres de Molière, avec des remarques grammaticales, des Avertissimens et des Observations sur chaque Pièce par M. Bret. A Paris, Par la Compagnie des libraires associés. M.D.CC.LXXIII.

Art Historical Context

This elegant volume from 1788 presents the first installment of Molière’s collected plays, complete with grammatical notes and critical observations by editor Antoine Bret. Published in Paris by the Compagnie des libraires associés, the book honors the celebrated seventeenth-century playwright whose comedies continue to shape French theater. Its modest dimensions belie the richness of its contents, offering readers both literary enjoyment and scholarly insight into Molière’s language and dramatic technique. The pages are enlivened by fine etchings and engravings from leading artists of the day, including Jean-Michel Moreau le Jeune, Antoine Jean Duclos, and Nicolas de Launay. These illustrations capture lively scenes populated by men, women, and dogs, rendered with the delicate linework and graceful detail characteristic of late-eighteenth-century French book illustration. Such prints transformed reading into a visual experience, reflecting the period’s taste for refined, narrative imagery. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum through the bequest of Helen Winslow Durkee Mileham, this volume exemplifies how printed books served as portable art objects, preserving Molière’s legacy while showcasing the technical brilliance of French printmakers.

About the Artist

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Molière|Jean Michel Moreau the Younger|La Compagnie des libraires associés|L'Imprimerie de Baudouin|Louis Jacques Cathelin|Pierre Mignard |Jean-Baptiste-Blaise Simonet|Nicolas de Launay|François Denis Née|M. (Antoine) Bret|Antoine Jean Duclos (British|British|French) · 1697 |1697 |1622 –1764 |1732 |1673

British, London 1697–1764 London|British, London 1697–possibly 1732 London|French, 1622–1673