435 - FOUR VOLUMES OF THE 1700s IN ATLANTIC FORMAT: 1) THREE VOLUMES OF THE WORK: THE ANCIENT PAINTINGS OF HERCULANEUM AND ENGRAVED DETAILS WITH SOME EXPLANATIONS, published in Naples, 1760–62, by the Royal Printing Office. Volumes I, II, and III (of 5 volumes). The work *The Ancient Paintings of Herculaneum and Engraved Outlines with Some Explanations* was printed in 5 volumes (published between 1757 and 1779). Volumes beautifully illustrated with plates and chalcographic engravings. Not collated. Volumes in excellent condition. Volume I contains the first part of the wall paintings discovered at Herculaneum and Pompeii, including mythological subjects, dancing figures (such as the famous bacchantes and centaurs on a black background), and decorative elements. Also found at the beginning of the volume are: 1 illustrated frontispiece, 1 portrait of the king dedicated to Charles III of Bourbon, and 1 folded double-page map depicting the Cratere Maritimo or part of the Gulf of Naples. Volume II focuses primarily on large narrative compositions of a mythological nature and on depictions of Roman religious cults: Notable among these are the famous reproductions of frescoes related to the myths of Theseus the Liberator (as he is thanked by the Athenian children after slaying the Minotaur) and the Judgment of Paris. Ample space is devoted to the world of Dionysus, with depictions of Bacchus and Ariadne, satyrs, Silenus, and dancing Maenads. It includes the world-famous figures of “Dancers” or “Centaurs” set against dark backgrounds (red or black), elements that profoundly influenced European Neoclassical interior design and style, which was in vogue at the end of the 18th century. Volume III shifts its thematic focus to depictions of civic life, the performing arts, and the ritual and domestic spheres of the ancient Romans. It contains the famous plates dedicated to theatrical masks (tragic and comic) and scenes from comedies featuring actors wearing masks and costumes typical of Roman theater. It illustrates scenes of domestic sacrifices, processions, and ritual initiations, often set within complex architectural or temple contexts. This volume includes important depictions of Xenia (gifts of hospitality, namely still lifes featuring game, fruit, fish, and tableware) and frescoes depicting idyllic-sacred landscapes, characterized by small temples, bridges, and tiny human figures set within nature. There are plates depicting scenes of cupids and psychic nymphs engaged in various crafts or games of the era. Both books follow a standard structure curated by the Accademia Ercolanese: an engraved portrait of the ruler or the dedicatee at the beginning. The Engraved Plate: An exact mirror image reproduction of the fresco fragment extracted from the walls of Roman villas. The Explanation: A lengthy text in Italian (with frequent quotations in Latin and Ancient Greek) that interprets the myth or scene from a historical and philological perspective. Volume 1: pp. (8), 279, (9), plus over 50 full-page plates numbered consecutively and with Roman numerals (I–L). Volume 2: pp. (14), , 349, (11), in addition to 60 numbered plates (I–LX); Volume 3: pp. (4), XVII, 1 (blank), 339, (13), plus 60 full-page plates (I–LX). In addition to the monumental plates outside the main text found in each of the two volumes, the Royal Printing Office enriched both volumes with an extensive decorative chalcographic apparatus inserted directly into the text pages: dozens of animated headpieces, illustrated initials, and large geometric or figurative end-pieces placed at the end of each philological explanation, as well as miniature reproductions of small artifacts, oil lamps, and cameos. Original bindings in decorated soft cardboard. The pages, with very sporadic and barely noticeable foxing, are still crisp and rustling.2) Ottavio Antonio Bayardi (1694–1764) CATALOG OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS UNEARTHED FROM THE DISCOVERED CITY OF HERCULANEUM BY ORDER OF HIS MAJESTY CHARLES, KING OF THE TWO SICILIES, ed. Naples, 1755. Published by the Royal Printing Office of His Majesty, the work was commissioned directly by Charles of Bourbon, then King of the Two Sicilies (and future Charles III of Spain), to systematically catalog the archaeological treasures that were emerging from the Vesuvian excavations. Ottavio Antonio Bayardi (or Baiardi), an apostolic protonotary and scholar, was commissioned by the sovereign to compile and oversee the requested work. Illustrations and engravings by artists of the time, including Camillo Paderni (draughtsman) and Antonio Piaggio. A very early (extremely rare) pilot edition bears the date 1754, while the official and widely distributed edition is dated 1755. Although it bears the inscription “End of the First Volume,” no subsequent volumes with this specific title were ever published. The work marks the official beginning of the Bourbon cataloging of antiquities and serves as the introductory/pioneering volume of the massive series *Le Antichità di Ercolano Esposte*, published between 1757 and 1792. King Charles initially imposed strict state secrecy on the artifacts and