First edition of the first modern treaty on agriculture.<\/span><\/p>\n“Cette premi\u00e8re \u00e9dition est la plus belle de toutes ” (Thi\u00e9baud). it is dedicated to French King Henry IV.<\/p>\n
Olivier de Serres is a member of a Huguenot family in the Vivarais region. During the Wars of Religion, he took part in various battles, including the siege of his home town, Villeneuve-de-Berg, in 1573. Afterwards, he retired to his land at Le Pradel, determined not to become involved in religious quarrels. It was at Le Pradel that he spent the rest of his life, devoting himself to his work as a landowner. Olivier de Serres never lost sight of the national interest and wanted to convince the gentlemen to look after their land themselves. For thirty years he devoted his spare time to writing this book, which deals in detail with every aspect of agriculture: the land, clearing and drainage, wheat, wine, livestock, the farmyard, the garden, water and wood, and domestic recipes. This book was responsible for the development of new crops such as hops, maize, beetroot, mulberry and even potatoes.<\/p>\n
Olivier de Serres’ style is clear and imbued with rural poetry. He described the gardener as “the goldsmith of the earth, because he surpasses the simple ploughman as much as the goldsmith surpasses the common blacksmith” [orf\u00e8vre de la terre, parce qu’il surpasse d’autant plus le simple laboureur que l’orf\u00e8vre le commun forgeron]<\/i>..<\/p>\n
His work is divided into eight large chapters or “places” as he calls them : 1: Du Devoir du Mesnager, c’est-\u00e0-dire de bien cognoistre & choisir les Terres, pour les acquerir & emploier selon leur naturel, approprier l’habitation champestre & ordonner de la conduite de son mesnage<\/i>. 2. Du Labourage des terres-a-grains, pour avoir des Bleds de toutes sortes Agronome et non gastronome, Oliver de Serres ne s’int\u00e9resse pas \u00e0 l’appr\u00eat culinaire lui-m\u00eame, mais aux modes de conservation des aliments […] : techniques de salaison des diff\u00e9rentes viandes d’une part, de l’autre, proc\u00e9d\u00e9s de mise en conserve des fruits (au sel, au vinaigre, au mo\u00fbt, au vin cuit, au sucre, au miel). Le second chapitre du livre VIII constitue ainsi un v\u00e9ritable trait\u00e9 de confiture ” (Livres en bouche).<\/i> 3. De la Culture de la Vigne, pour avoir des Vins de toutes sortes, aussi des passerilles & autres gentillesses procedantes des raisins, ensemble de se pourvoir d’autres boissons, pour les endroits o\u00f9 la Vigne ne peut croistre.<\/i> 4. Du Bestail a quatre pieds, des pasturages pour son vivre, de son entretenement & des commodit\u00e9s qu’on en tire<\/i>. 5. De la conduite du Poulailler, du Colombier, de la Garenne, du Parc, de l’Estang, du Ruscher & des Vers-\u00e0-Soie<\/i>. 6. Des Jardinages, pour avoir des Herbes & Fruits potagers, des Herbes & Fleurs odorantes, des Herbes medecinales, des Fruits des Arbres, du Saffran, du Lin, du Chanvre, du Guesde, de la Garence, des Chardons-\u00e0-draps, des Rozeaux, en suite, la mani\u00e8re de faire les cloisons pour la conservation des fruits en g\u00e9n\u00e9ral<\/i>. 7. De l’Eau & du Bois<\/i>. 8. De l’Usage des Alimens, & de l’honneste comportement en la Solitude de la Campagne<\/i>. This last chapter contains recipes for bread, drinks (hypocras, malvasia, mead), fruit and meat jams and preserves, syrups, sauerkraut, truffles, etc., as well as medical remedies for humans and animals. It also explains how to arrange houses and clothes and how to behave honestly in the countryside.<\/p>\n
The illustration consists of a fine title-frontispiece engraved by Mallery. It shows an arch with the title in the middle with small views revealing a country landscape at both sides, surmounted by a garden view with parterres in the style of Le N\u00f4tre showing the king seated in the middle and surrounded by three personalities (Justice, Peace, and Labour). The title is indicating Olivier de Serres’ title as being “Seigneur du Pradel”. The iconography is complemented by woodcuts in the text and eight woodcuts at the head of each chapter depicting scenes of rural life.<\/p>\n
“Ce trait\u00e9 d’agriculture est le fruit des recherches entreprises par l’agronome sur sa propre exploitation \u00e0 partir de 1559. L’aspect novateur du Th\u00e9\u00e2tre tient au caract\u00e8re scientifique de la d\u00e9marche de son auteur qui, bien que connaissant l’apport des antiques et de ses contemporains, r\u00e9alisa ses propres exp\u00e9rimentations.<\/p>\n
“La publication du trait\u00e9 d’Olivier de Serres s’inscrit dans le cadre politique d’une volont\u00e9 de relance de l’agriculture d\u00e8s les premi\u00e8res ann\u00e9es du r\u00e8gne d’Henri IV. L’ouvrage, en abordant la question de la culture du m\u00fbrier blanc et la s\u00e9riciculture, participe \u00e9galement \u00e0 la politique de la soie que veut promouvoir le roi pour lutter contre l’importation de soieries \u00e9trang\u00e8res. En faisant part de la fa\u00e7on de r\u00e9aliser les parterres dits “\u00e0 la nouvelle mode” inaugur\u00e9s pour les jardins royaux, le Th\u00e9\u00e2tre d’agriculture est \u00e9galement devenu un ouvrage de r\u00e9f\u00e9rence en mati\u00e8re d’histoire des jardins” (Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Sichet, France Archives).<\/p>\n
Clear light waterstain throughout, paper default pp. 721\/722 without loss.<\/p>\n
Provenance: Ex-Dono D.D. Poitevin Despradels d’Allavet (Possibly Durand de Poitevin, King’s Councillor in Montpellier, son of Jacques-Alexandre de Poitevin, Director of the Royal Academy of Sciences, and Suzanne Despradels, elder brother of First Empire Major General Jean-Etienne Casimir Poitevin de Maureilhan). The former owner corrected Olivier de Serres’ title from “Seigneur du Pradel” to “Seigneur Despradel” in reference to his own name.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Folio (306 x 200 mm) 8 nn.ll. including engraved title-frontispiece by Malleri, 1004 pp., 10 nn.ll. 18th century marbled calf, spine gilt with raised bands, red edges (some expert restorations<\/i>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":85416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[532],"product_tag":[1239,1209,1450,584,3301],"class_list":{"0":"post-85425","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-botanical","7":"product_tag-17th-century-illustrations","8":"product_tag-economics","9":"product_tag-first-edition","10":"product_tag-gardens","11":"product_tag-natural-science","12":"pa_auteur-serres-olivier-de-2","13":"pa_type-de-livre-printed-book","15":"first","16":"instock","17":"shipping-taxable","18":"purchasable","19":"product-type-simple"},"acf":{"artist":" Olivier de SERRES","chapeau":"","adresse_bibliographique":"Paris, Jamet Metayer, 1600","book_type":"Printed book","provenance":"","afficher_prix":""},"yoast_head":"\nSERRES Olivier de Le Th\u00e9\u00e2tre d'agriculture et mesnage de champs. - 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