Eloge de la folie

Moriae Encomium

The Praise of Folly; or, L'Eloge de la Folie

Illustrated by Hans Holbein the Younger

Non-contemporary, but antique binding - 1728 Edition of ''L'Eloge de la Folie''

On the left, we show the non-contemporary, but antique,

binding to the 1728 edition of L'Eloge de la Folie.

On the right is shown the title page.

Title Page - 1728 Edition of ''L'Eloge de la Folie''

Moriae Encomium - known as The Praise of Folly (English); or, L'Eloge de la Folie (French) - was the work of the great Dutch

Renaissance Humanist and Theologian, Desiderius Erasmus. That work - written in the closing years of the first decade of

the 16th Century - was a satirical critique of both the Catholic Church and popular superstitions and was dedicated to his

friend, the English Renaissance Humanist, Sir Thomas More.

A copy of the First Edition of Moriae Encomium carries a suite of 81 designs that are among the earliest works by Holbein, having been produced around 1515 when he was still in his teenage years. That very year, Holbein had moved to Basel with his brother, Ambrosius, from his native Augsberg.

Holbein contributed illustrations to further early printed works, including Martin Luther's German translation of the Bible, in addition to other artistic works such as stained-glass installations and his seminal suite of illustrations known as Der Todten-Tantz (The Dance of Death).

The illustrations within the Collection are from an edition of L'Eloge de la Folie published by François L'Honoré (Amsterdam) in 1728. When presenting the etchings from plates based on Holbein's illustrations with associated text, we have shown the related English text provided in John Wilson's 1668 translation of Erasmus' work, in addition to the original French text from L'Eloge de la Folie (1728) - text which is claimed to be taken from an original copy held, at the time, by l'Académie de Basle. A comparative analysis of the translations is interesting and perhaps may provide cause, in itself, for further reflection on the theme developed by Erasmus.

Hans Holbein - ''Erasmus''

Above, we show a painting of Erasmus

by Hans Holbein the Younger.

Our Greeting Cards and Fine Art Posters

Greeting Card sample showing an image of an engraving from the illustrations of Hans Holbein for ''Moriae Encomium'' (''The Praise of Folly'' or ''L'Eloge de la Folie'')

For connoisseurs, we have prepared sets of 81 Greeting Cards displaying each of the images from etchings of Holbein's designs for Moriae Encomium and on the left, we show an example of how these Greeting Cards appear.

Code: H ME MS(81)

Price: US$405.00

Envoyer

When presented on Greeting Cards, these images are prepared as tipped-on plates - in hommage to the hand-crafted

approach typical of prestige illustrated publications produced in the early decades of the 20th Century. Each card is

hand-finished and the images are presented on White card stock with an accompanying envelope. On the rear of each card we also present some information about this great work and each individual illustration. We have

left the interior of the cards blank so that you may write your own personal

message.

Should you wish to order a reproduction print of one or more of these images,

we have provided some options on the pages highlighting individual images

from L'Eloge de la Folie. Each of our Fine Art Posters is prepared with archival

quality papers and inks - and also accompanied by information about this great

work and the profiled illustration.

To purchase, simply click on the appropriate "Add to Cart" button and you will

be taken through to our Shopping Cart secured through PayPal. Multiple

purchases will be consolidated by that feature and shipping and handling costs

to any destination in the world are accommodated by our flat-rate fee of

US$20 for every US$200 worth of purchases.

Of course, should you wish to discuss some customised options, we welcome

your contact on any matter through ThePeople@SpiritoftheAges.com.

In the meantime, however, enjoy perusing these wonderful

...