144 - HANCARVILLE, Pierre d' and DAVID, François-Anne (engraver). Etruscan, Greek, and Roman Antiquities.

HANCARVILLE, Pierre d' and DAVID, François-Anne (engraver). Etruscan, Greek, and Roman Antiquities. A fine contemporary copy of the first French edition of this archaeological manifesto that influenced European taste. The set is illustrated with 5 watercolor frontispieces and 361 engraved plates, more than half of which are enhanced with a bistre wash. Paris, published by the author, 1785–1787. 5 volumes in-4, each bound in red long-grain half-maroquin, with a smooth spine divided by gilt fillets and friezes, and fleurons featuring ancient motifs. 5 watercolor frontispieces, 361 copperplate engravings distributed across 72 plates per volume, including two engravings on a single plate in Volume I (nos. 28 and 29). Normal wear and tear; a tear in the top cap of the first volume; foxing concentrated on the text pages; a few plates inverted in the last volume, but the copy is otherwise complete. First French edition of this landmark work on the history of ancient art, published in quarto format by the engraver François-Anne David to facilitate its use. The original edition in four folio volumes (Naples, 1766–1767) was financed by Sir William Hamilton, a British diplomat and renowned archaeologist. The book catalogs his fabulous collection of vases and antiquities discovered during the first excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii. [Brunet, II, 536]. The author of the texts, Baron d’Hancarville (1719–1805), an art theorist, laid the groundwork for modern archaeology through his scientific and philosophical approach to ancient forms and myths. Working alongside him, the famous engraver François-Anne David (1741–1824) served as both the master engraver of the plates and the publisher, capturing the grandeur of Naples with absolute precision. The appeal of this copy lies in its chromatic virtuosity. More than half of the engraved plates are enhanced with a bistre wash to recreate the materiality of terracotta, the patina of the centuries, and the contrast of the ceramics. This publication had a resounding impact on European taste, becoming a major graphic influence on the Neoclassical movement. A beautiful set in uniform period bindings (Directoire, early Empire).