CASSAS (Louis-François)

Voyage pittoresque de la Syrie, de la Phoenicie, de la Palestine et de la Basse Égypte. [Paris], [Imprimerie de la République], [1799]. 3 parts in one large in-folio volume, half havana long-grained morocco, spine ribbed and decorated (period binding). Binding worn, headbands, spines and corners rubbed, inner spine broken. I. 91 plates (ch.1-137) including 5 bis (13 double-page or folding plates); II. 33 plates (ch.2-96) (7 double-page or folding plates) + a second plate n°64, in duplicate; III. 56 plates (ch.1-106) (8 double-page or folding plates). (Detailed list of plate numbers available on request). ORIGINAL EDITION of this unfinished work, which has no title page. Scattered marginal foxing. Marginal tear restored on plate 21. Son of a surveyor (who taught him the art of architectural drawing), Louis-François Cassas (1756-1827) studied at the Académie de Dessin of the Duc de Rohan-Chabot before becoming a pupil of Jean-Jacques Lagrenée and Jean-Baptiste Le Prince. He accompanied the Comte de Choiseul-Gouffier, who had just been appointed Ambassador to Constantinople and asked him to produce a work based on drawings of monuments, views, maps and costumes made during his journey through Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Phoenicia, Palestine, Lower Egypt and Libya. Many of the sites depicted had never been recorded before. He also drew scenes of daily life, including a desert caravan, a wedding and street scenes. The work was to comprise 330 plates, accompanied by a text, but only 30 parts were published, without a title page and with a text accompanying only the first seven parts. As with most copies, this text is missing here. Each issue contained 6 plates, for a total of 180 plates drawn by Cassas and etched by Berthault, Duparc, Legrand, Malapeau, Picquenot, Racine, Tilliard,... The number of plates varies from copy to copy: Atabey considers ""around 180"" as standard. Atabey 201 (179 plates); Blackmer 295 (178 plates; incorrectly described as 180); RIBA 580 (183 plates); Brunet I, 1616; Cohen 204-5 (173 plates, and also mentions an unspecified copy with 192); Monglond IV, 993-1005 (180 plates).