(Chantilly)(Mérigot, Jean-Gabriel)   PROMENADES OU ITINÉRAIRE DES JARDINS DE CHANTILLY,   Orné D'un Plan Et De Vingt Estampes Qui En Représentent Les Principales Vues, Dessinées Et Gravées par Mérigot.     &nbspParis: Chez Desenne,   1791.          First edition. An anonymous descriptive guide and illustrated view book for one of the most celebrated picturesque gardens in France. The first gardens at Chantilly were laid out in the 16th century, but Louis II de Bourbon (the "Grande Condé") employed LeNôtre to redesign and enlarge them between 1663 and 1686. The large, marshy site and its proximity to the River Nonette allowed for extensive and varied use of water in the composition of formal gardens on a vast scale. Le Nôtre regarded them as one of his greatest achievements. In the eighteenth century the gardens were again altered and enlarged and were among the earliest and most prominent examples of the French "picturesque" style. It is these gardens which figure most prominently in the present work. The jardin anglais laid out by Jean-Francois Leroy in 1774 included a pond, cascades, a canal, vine-covered trellises, and other picturesque features. The rustic "Hameau," built in 1775, became a model for those built in many French fermes ornées of the period, including the Petit Trianon. Most of these features are illustrated by the plates included here. The text, which describes the gardens and provides some history of the chateau, was published anonymously. Ganay and the Bibliothèque Nationale both attribute it René-Louis de Girardin, creator of the gardens of Ermenonville. It is, however, more generally attributed to his son, Stanislas de Girardin, who is also frequently (and questionably) cited as the author of a similar guide to Ermenonville. The two guides were both illustrated with aquatint engravings by Jean-Gabriel Mérigot, whose name is also often given as the author of both works.   8vo (21.5 x 13.5 cm); (iv) + 60 pp. + folding plan and 20 aquatint plates.   Ganay 130; Berlin Cat 3477.          Contemporary boards, recently rebacked in leather; a portion of the type on two leaves has been effaced (or was not properly inked when printed) and the missing letters have been filled in by hand. $1,800.00

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