Placide Auguste Le Pileur d’Apligny (ca. 1759–1779).

Traité des couleurs matérielles, et de la maniere de colorer, relativement aux différens arts et métiers.

Paris, Saugrain & Lamy; Barrois aîné (colophon: Imprimerie de Demonville), 1779.

12°,. XII, 342, [4] pp.

Contemporary marbled calf with gold-tooled smooth spine, marbled endpapers.

First edition of this wide-ranging practical treatise on colouring techniques across the decorative and industrial arts.
               The work provides a detailed account of the chemical and physical processes involved in the preparation and application of colours, including the compounding of natural dyestuffs and mineral pigments. It covers a wide range of materials—leather, wood, ivory, marble, and stucco—and includes substantial sections on varnish-making, gilding, and painting techniques (oil, fresco, and encaustic). Particularly notable are the extensive instructions for dyeing and colour mixing, offering precise formulations and combinations intended for both textile production and decorative finishes.
               Closely linked to the development of the Parisian “indienne” coloured textile industry, Le Pileur d’Apligny was involved in a manufactory founded in 1759, and his writings reflect direct technical experience. As noted by Lowengard, he “is closely linked to the history of the manufacture of printed cotton (indiennes) in Paris… [and] more important are his books on cotton dyeing, on improving dyeing processes, and on colour and the production of colours” (The Creation of Colour in Eighteenth-Century Europe).

A significant and technically informed contribution to 18th-century colour practice, bridging artisanal tradition and early industrial chemistry.

Condition: Slight wear to front cover. Bookplate of General d’Hauteville on front paste-down. Stamp on title. Sporadic slight page toning. Otherwise in very good condition.

Literature:

Cicognara, Leopold. Catalogo Ragionato dei Libri d'Arte e d'Antichita, no. 184.

Lowengard, Sarah. The Creation of Color in Eighteenth-Century Europe. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008.