PARIS.- On April 14th, 2026, Artcurial will auction the third and final part of the Jean Bourdel Library, in collaboration with experts Emmanuel Lhermitte and Philippine de Sailly.

Preserved by the Bourdel family for nearly a century, this collection is one of the major bibliophile collections of the 20th century dedicated to French Gothic prints and 16th-century literature.

Following the success of the first two sales, the most recent of which took place in March 2025, this latest sale will conclude the dispersal of a collection that brings together chivalric novels, humanist poetry and major works of prose. True to the spirit of previous sessions, the sale will be organised around three main categories: Gothic prints, poetry, and prose.

This is a final opportunity for collectors and institutions to discover rare editions, often first impressions, which bear witness to the vitality of French printing at the turn of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Gothic Impressions

Jean Bourdel's library features a remarkable collection of French Gothic prints and works by Jean Molinet, including C'est le romant de la rose, published in 1503, alongside iconic chivalric novels such as Tresplaisante et Recreative Hystoire du Trespreulx et Vaillant Chevallier Perceval. Written by multiple authors, and first begun in the 12th century by Chrétien de Troyes, this is the first and only edition of this popular novel.

Poetry

Among the rarities is the first edition of Jacques Peletier du Mans' Œuvres poétiques, published in 1547 in a spectacular binding by Jean Edouard Niédrée.

Also on offer will be Le Premier [Second et Troisieme] livre du Recueil des nouvelles poesies by Ronsard, an extremely rare first edition published in 1564, as well as a very rare edition combining L’Adolescence Clementine, La Suite de L'Adolescence Clementine and the Premier livre de la Metamorphose d'Ovide by Clément Marot dating from 1535.

Prose

This final chapter will also celebrate works of prose that have shaped the historical and scientific landscape of literature.

Among them is the first French edition of Francesco Colonna's Hypnerotomachie, or Discours du songe de Poliphile, richly illustrated.

Several fundamental works on medicine and anatomy will also be featured, including a rare original edition of Ambroise Paré's La Méthode curative des playes et fractures de la Teste humaine, published in 1561, alongside works by François Rabelais, including Les Œuvres de M. François Rabelais docteur en médecine, published in 1565.