SOMAIZE Antoine Baudeau de La Clef du Grand dictionnaire historique des Prétieuses.

Precious manuscript of the clef, indispensable for understanding Somaize’s Précieuses of 1660.

This key, written in a very legible hand, relates to the 1661 edition of Les Précieuses and matches the precious characters and personalities by indicating the page of the text on which they appear. Thus Cassandre et ses deux filles corresponds to Madame la comtesse de Clermont et ses deux filles (p.81).

According to an autograph note on the flyleaf, this copy belonged to Abbé Sepher (1710-1781): ‘Cette clef est conforme à une clef mss. que j’ai vue sur un exemplaire imprimé du gr. dict. des précieuses, 2 vol. [in]12, 1661’.

Abbé Pierre-Jacques Sepher was a scholar, doctor at the Sorbonne, vice-chancellor of the University of Paris and bibliophile. His library was sold at auction in 1786.

Copies of the key are very rare.

Other provenance: Doctor D. Bernard (ex-libris).