Live auction - Lot 460
[Middle East]
Syria, the Holy Land, Asia Minor, &c. illustrated. In a series of views drawn from nature by W.H. Bartlett, William Purser, &c. [...].
London, Paris, & New York, Fisher & son, [1838]
€ 150 / 250
Live bidding (Drouot*) Live bidding (Invaluable*)Bidding is closed
Lot description
3 vol., 4to: engr. title-[4]-80, engr. title-76, engr. title-100-[4] pp.; 119 pl. (foxing, marg. dampstaining to begin. of vol. II, marg. damp stains throughout vol. III, all margins of first pp. & pl. dampstained with mouldy traces).
Contemp. calf, blind stamped covers with fillets forming cross-braces ruled with a gilt roll-stamp, gilt orn. spines with raised bands, marbled edges matching endpapers (front cover of vol. II & lower cover of vol. III dampstained, sm. light damp stains to front cover of vol. I, some parts rubbed).
First edition, complete in itself (initially publ. in 30 parts of 4 plates) "forming the first part of Fisher's series, the "Turkish Empire Illustrated", with most of the engr. after W.H. Bartlett who travelled extensively in the Levant to gather material for his paintings" (Atabey). Illustrated with 3 engr. titles, 2 maps and 117 finely executed steel-engravings. Many of the plates in vol. III after drawings by Th. Allom. Views and scenes of monuments, ruins, ancient sites, nature, landscapes, city life, etc. in Antioch, Tripoli, Baalbec, Rhodes, Beirut, Alexandria, Jerusalem etc. It is interesting to note that only a few works of that time include what is present-day Lebanon.
Ref. Atabey 199. - Allibone I:344. - BnF (vol. I only). - COPAC.
Prov. Thomas Bell F.R.S. (armorial bookpl.). - [Georges Petit].