MILTON, John. Le Paradis perdu, poëme par Milton; édition en anglais et en français, Ornée de douze Estampes imprimées en couleurd’après les Tableaux de M. Schall. 2 Vols.

Paris: Defer de Maison neuve,  1792.

John Milton (1608-1674) is undoubtedly one of the most important English writers, and it is precisely because of this work, Paradise Lost.

He was very active in politics during the English Civil Wars (1642-1651), openly advocating the abolition of the monarchy embodied by Charles I, and defending tyrannicide.  He was a staunch supporter of Cromwell, which led him to important political positions during his government, specifically as Secretary for Foreign Tongues to the Commonwealth Council of State.

His social and family relations enabled him to survive the restoration of the monarchy in the person of Charles II in 1660.

Jean Federic Schall (1752-1825), author of the design of the engravings, was one of the painters preferred by French high society in the late eighteenth century, studied at the Public School of Strasbourg and the Royal Academy of Paris. He lived “a period in which the actresses of the Comédie Française, dancers and fashionable women rubbed shoulders with the financiers and princes …, and Schall quickly became the most beloved painter of this world. (Benezit’s Dictionary of Artists.) Despite the fall of the old regime he managed to continue to be considered a relevant artist in the immediate post-Revolutionary period after 1789.

Paradise Lost is a narrative poem first published in 1667. A classic of English literature, it is a fundamental piece in the development of a whole literary genre. It is divided in twelve books with more than 10,000 verses. The story is the Biblical topic of the fall of Adam and Eve, underlies the mystery of the sense of evil and suffering and why God, being almighty, does not avoid pain and misfortune. It hinges on Satan’s revenge, recently defeated by divine armies. Since he cannot fight God directly, the Evil One uses humans, newly created creatures, who are tempted in every possible way.

2 vol. in-folio (326 x 243 mm). Illustrated with 12 colour prints by Clément, Colibert, Demonchy and Gautier, following Schall’s designs. Elegant contemporary binding in red morocco, gilt edges. First illustrated colour edition.

Magnificent copy. Cohen-de Ricci 107-708; Brunet III, 1731.