Lot 16. CHOISEUL-GOUFFIER, Marie Gabriel August Florent.

Very good example of the first edition of one of the most celebrated Voyages pittoresques.
Choiseul-Gouffier’s masterpiece is the first publication of a travel voyage that is composed mainly of illustrations of places which are complementary to a narrative and descriptive text. This work established the model for later “”Voyages pittoresques”” not only in format but also by the employment of different artists. Notable artists used in this work include Saint-Aubin and Moreau le Jeune. Volume 1 contains a discourse on Greek history and the struggle for liberty. Primarily, though, it is an account of the author’s travels through Greece and is heavily illustrated with maps, views of natural wonders and classical ruins. The first part of the second volume is a reconstruction of the Troad, that area of the Mediterranean associated with the “”Iliad””. It reflects the author’s reduced circumstances and is sparsely illustrated. The second part, published after Choiseul-Gouffier’s death by his friends from notes left by him, is a much more luxurious effort, probably as the result of subsidy, and is again heavily illustrated.

Description

First edition, third issue of first volume, 2 volumes in 3, large folio. Portrait, 3 engraved titles, 2 maps, 285 engraved plates, table, contemporary calf-backed marbled boards, vellum tips, rebacked, scattered light foxing, a very good set.

Bibliography

Atabey 241; Blackmer 342; Cohen-de-Ricci 238; Millard French Books, 51; Brunet, I, 1847; Koç, Constantinople I, 145; .