Monsr. Le Brun's Expressions of the Passions

[21; Engraved Title and 19 Plates] John Tinney's English edition of Charles Le Brun's Expressions of the Passions. The book which is undated but is thought to have appeared in the 1750s is made up of an engraved title page, a Preface in letter press, followed by the nineteen engravings of faces showing Le Brun's passions, each with a written explanation below. The plate mark is 18cm x 28cm. This copy has wide margins and the images are excellent impressions throughout. Many of the images are foxed and there is frequent discolouration to the paper. The book is bound in sturdy marbled paper covered boards with a later cloth spine. The binding has wear to the edges but has protected the book well. The sewing has failed internally allowing the text block to be divided in two. Le Brun's work on the Passions dates back to a lecture of 1688 and its subsequent publication, along with the all-important images, was influential all over Europe. Although deriving from his artistic practice Le Brun's theories are now seen as much more than a template for reproducing plausible emotional states but instead the expression of a psycho-physiological hypothesis dating back to the work of Descartes.