SAINT-GELAIS (Octavien de). *Sensuyt le Sejour Dhonneur*, co - Lot 23

SAINT-GELAIS (Octavien de). *Sensuyt le Sejour Dhonneur*, composed by the Reverend Father in God, Sir Octavien de Saint-Gelaïs, Bishop of Angoulême. Newly printed in Paris. Paris, Widow of Jehan Trepperel and Jehan Jehannot, n.d. (1519–1520). Small quarto, blue morocco, blind-stamped fillets on the spine and covers, interior lace, gilt edges (Koehler). The third and final early edition of this extremely rare poetic work, Octavien de Saint-Gelais’s magnum opus and one of the masterpieces of the Grande Rhétorique. Born into a powerful noble family in Poitou, Octavien, though destined for the clergy, initially led a life of pleasure at the court of Charles d’Angoulême and Louise de Savoie in his hometown of Cognac, devoting himself to literature from an early age. His love poems, as well as his translations of Virgil and Ovid, soon earned him a brilliant reputation and the favor of King Charles VIII, who appointed him Bishop of Angoulême in 1494 —he was then 26 years old—perhaps as a reward for the praise the young poet had just lavished upon him in his *Séjour d’honneur*, composed in 1491–92. In this work, which has been interpreted as a form of autobiography ahead of its time, the poet reflects on the excesses of his youth, recounts his own wanderings under the influence of allegorical figures such as Sensuality, Foolish Abuse, and Vain Hope, and then describes his repentance with the help of Reason. He eventually arrives at the court (the “Séjour”) of Charles VIII, represented by the figure of Honor, before finding refuge in the hermitage of Understanding. This allegorical dream, which draws on the tradition of initiatory pilgrimages and is reminiscent of the *Roman de la Rose*, is remarkable for the fluidity of its style and the elegance of its treatment. The form adopted—prosimeter (a mixture of verse and prose), beloved by the Grands Rhétoriqueurs and, before them, by Alain Chartier, was intended to allow the author—through its two levels of discourse—to articulate both a eulogy of King Charles VIII and an edifying message about conversion to virtue, alongside a scathing critique of courtly mores. The work is known only from two manuscripts (BNF)—one of which, richly illuminated around 1510, may be a copy of a lost dedication copy presented to Charles VIII—and three editions, all of which are extremely rare, the first having been printed for Antoine Vérard around 1503. This edition, also undated, is believed to have been printed in 1519 or 1520, shortly after Vérard’s second edition (1519), which bibliographers generally consider the primary version. Gothic type with the title in red and black, embellished with a beautiful initial letter featuring floral decoration. Four lovely woodcut illustrations, including one on the title page. A very fine copy, elegantly bound by Koehler. From the Edouard Rahir Library (2nd sale, 1931, no. 664). Acquired by Émile Rossignol in 1963.

Estimation:€4,000

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