COGNIAUX, Celestin Alfred and GOOSSENS, Alphonse — DICTIONNAIRE ICONOGRAPHIQUE DES ORCHIDÉES

Brussels. F. Havermans. First Edition. Collection of original parts (7-1/4" x 5-1/2") housed in publisher's purple cloth folders with gilt lettering and ribbon ties along with a small pamphlet containing a table of plates: DICTIONNAIRE ICONOGRAPHIQUE DES ORCHIDEES. TABLE DES PLANCHES. Bruxelles: Vandievot, [1902]. Apparently complete work with approximately 824 fine chromolithographed plates of orchids, including a few folding, with accompanying descriptive text. Goossens, perhaps the greatest of all orchid painters, illustrated this rarest of all serially-published orchid iconographies with only 250 examples published. NISSEN BBI 2236n. A total of 17 volumes, plus index, with the larger genera of the orchid gathered in individual volumes and the remaining in two large compilation sections. The final volume comprises 61 supplementary text parts. Issued in an edition of only 250 copies. Also included is the wrapper-bound index volume.. Library labels on spines and penciled numbering on title leaves but no library marking to contents. Plates overall very good to fine, a few of the folding plates splitting along the crease, some plates with small adhesion spots from opposing leaves. Very Good or better and quite scarce