Physique sacrée, ou Histoire-naturelle de la Bible traduite du latin de Mr. Jean-Jacques Scheuchzer [...]. Enrichie de figures en taille-douce [...].

7 (of 8) vol., folio: [4]-163, [2]-185, [4]-160, [4]-184, [2]-298, [4]-482, [4]-258-85 pp.; 658 (on 758) pl. (vol. I missing, half-titles of vol. III & VI missing, some soiling and foxing).

Contemp. mottled calf, richly gilt spines with raised bands and labels, sprinkled edges (sl. rubbed with sm. defects). Very nice set.

First edition of the French translation, by Jacques de Varenne, of this extraordinary encyclopaedic collection on the natural sciences, where the author tries to give a method to explain the mysteries of Nature. Placing the text of the Vulgate and the Geneva version side by side, the Zurich physician and naturalist Johann-Jacob Scheuchzer (1672-1733), a friend of Leibniz and an ardent Newtonian, hopes in this way to protect himself from incriminations by the Faculty of theology. A splendid iconographic cycle in Baroque style, in which the imaginary and the fantastic emerge, comprising 658 very beautiful engr. plates under the direction of J.-A. Pfeffel by A. Corvinus, G. D. Heüman, I. G. Pintz, H. Sperling, M. Tyroff, etc., according to the drawings of J. M. Fueslin. All the plates are adorned with beautiful allegorical frames designed by J. D. Preissler, which give each of them a theatrical and spectacular dimension. These superb figures in the first edition are the same as those of the original Latin edition published in Augsburg in 4 volumes folio (1731-1735).
Ref. STCN. - Opac SBN. - Wellcome V:46. - Nissen (ZBI) 3662. - Pritzel 8174.