Rohan-Chabot’s copy
HELYOT, Pierre, le père
Histoire des ordres monastiques religieux et militaires, et des congrégations séculiers de l’un & de l’autre sexe, qui ont été établis jusqu’à présent. Contenant leur origine, leur fondation, leurs progrès, les événemens les plus considérables qui y sont arrivés…
Paris, Jean-Baptiste Coignard, 1721.
8 vol. 4to (252 x 197 mm), LXXXVIII pp., 2 unn.l (table), 399 pp., 10 unn.l. (table and approbation), 102 engraved plates for the first volume I ; 4 l., 436 pp., 15 unn.l, 119 engraved plates for the volume II ; XVI pp., 4 unn.l., 456 pp., 24 unn.l.,120 numbered plates (1-117, 29*, 29**, 64*) and engraved for the volume III ; 4 unn.l., 464 pp., 21 unn.l., 113 numbered plates (1-112, 45*) et gravées pour le volume IV ; 3 unn.l., 488 pp., 10 unn.l., 86 plates (on 87, the plate n°49 is missing) numbered and engraved for the volume V ; 4 unn.l., 446 pp., 13 unn.l., 100 numbered and engraved plates for the volume VI ; 4 unn.l., 493 pp., 17 unn.l., 71 plates (numbered 1-71) for the volume VII ; 4 unn.l., 446 pp., 19 unn.l., 99 numbered and engraved plates for the volume VIII. Polished calf, Rohan-Chabot coat of arms on the corners, spine with raised bands, red edges (contemporary binding).
3 500 
Brunet, III, 92 ; Colas, 1418 (mentions only 98 plates for volume VIII, otherwise the collation is consistent).

In stock

Reissue of the original edition, richly decorated with 811 plates, all but 3 illustrating the costumes of religious and secular orders.

“Ouvrage très recherché, et dont les exemplaires bien conservés sont rares et chers” (Brunet).

Father Pierre Helyot entered the Franciscan Third Order of the monastery of Picpus, founded by his father Canon Jérôme Helyot. His Histoire des ordres monastiques is the result of twenty-five years of work. The book was begun by Father Hélyot and continued by Father Bullot. Crowned with great success, the Histoire des ordres was translated into Italian in 1737, and into German in 1753.

“Les planches sont fort bien gravées par Cl. Duflos, P. Giffart, de Poilly et Thomassin” (Colas).

The plate 49 of volume V is missing (Benedictine nuns of la Roseray), small worm gallery in volume VII; binding slightly rubbed, small wormholes in the spine of volume V.

Provenance: Rohan-Chabot collection (coat of arms on boards and library label at foot).