SENEQUE. Opera L Annaei Senecae et ad dicendi facultatem et ad bene vivendum... Basilae, s.n. [Johannes Herwagen ], s.d. [ca. 1540]. In-folio bound in ivory parchment, spine ribbed (contemporary binding). [8] ff, 701 pp, [1] blank ff, [48] ff, [1] blank ff, [15] ff. decorated with a title finial with the printer's typographical mark and historiated initials, all in woodcuts. One of the Baltic editions of the Essays and Letters of Seneca by Erasmus, augmented in particular by the commentaries of Beatus Rhenanus. A good condition copy of this posthumous humanist edition after Erasmus' death. Handwritten bookplates including Turband's, dated 1699, Henri Tronchin's armorial bookplate and the Bessinge Library label. Provenance: Tronchin-Givaudan library, then by descent to the present owners Good condition despite a parchment binding with some soiling and light foxing. Binding: Top board a little curved Parchment soiled with a few stains and an old superficial epidermis on the upper cover. Partial insulation of the parchment Corners a little depressed Inside pages: Very discreet and scattered insect damage, particularly on the first few pages, with minimal damage to the text. Qlqs spotting in the margins of the pages with very limited damage to the printed text, particularly more visible in sections b-c- and d several light freckles, sometimes more visible Tronchin- Givaudan Library Assembled and preserved by several generations of the Tronchin and Givaudan families, the Tronchin-Givaudan library bears witness to a deep commitment to knowledge, historical awareness and the exceptional. The selection we have the honour of offering at auction highlights a subtle balance between erudition and the art of living. Comprising mainly works from the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, this collection covers more than five centuries of printed production, closely linked to the history of Geneva and the Tronchin family, one of the city's great patrician lineages, now extinct. A number of seventeenth-century titles hark back to the origins of this lineage, notably around the figure of Théodore Tronchin (lot 2567). However, it was in the 18th century, with the acquisition of the Bessinge estate by Jacob Tronchin in 1764, that the collection really took shape. The works, many of which bear the bookplates of Jean Armand Tronchin (1732-1813) and his son Henri (1794-1865), make up a collection faithful to the ideals of the Enlightenment, combining public law, classical humanities, science, travel accounts (lots 2471, 2479, 2554..), major works of 18th-century printing - including the plan of Paris by Turgot (lot 2591) - and rare editions bearing the royal coat of arms, such as those of Madame de Pompadour (lot 2545). At the turn of the 20th century, a new page was turned when Xavier Givaudan (1867-1966), a leading figure in the industrial boom alongside his brother Léon Givaudan (1875-1936) in the fields of synthetic perfume, chemicals and soap, established in Switzerland in 1917, acquired the estate in 1938 after renting it for several years. The library and works have been preserved and in part passed on to his descendants. His brother Léon Givaudan built up a bibliophile collection focusing on Art Deco books, bringing together works sublimated by bindings signed by the great contemporary bookbinders (lots 2606, 2626, 2648, etc.). His library was sold at auction in Paris on 3 June 1988. André Givaudan (1895-1973), Xavier Givaudan's son, also had a particular interest in literature, joining several bibliophile societies and adding a number of modern illustrated books to the collection. All the lots marked in brown in the printed catalogue come from the Tronchin-Givaudan Collection, then by descent to the current owners.