Reize door Frankrijk, in gemeenzame brieven.
Year: 1805
Edition: First edition
Publisher: Haarlem, Loosjes
Category: Europe
Half calf over paper covered boards, 8vo., pp. iv, 2, 570, 1.
Flat spine, divided in six compartments with seven gilt bands. Traces of faded titles in the second compartment. Illustrated with a folding map, 23 fine etchings and a leaf of musical score. Bumped corners and the paper covered boards a bit rubbed.
A rare book that brings together three Dutch artists working at the turn of the 18th into the 19th century.
The first one being the author, Adriaan van der Willigen (1766-1841), politician and writer, whose work includes several books, plays and magazine articles.
The second is the artist who made the drawings for this book, Josephus Augustus Knip. He was born in Tilburg in 1776 as son of the painter Nicolaas Knip. Possibly here he met the author who was the bailiff of this town from 1795-1799. In 1808 Knip won the Prix de Rome.
The third and last artist who contributed to this book is Hendrik Schwegman. He was born in 1761 near the city of Haarlem where he became famous as a painter and etcher. Amongst others he made the drawings for Schneevoogts "Icones plantarum rariorum". For this book he engraved the etchings after the drawings of Knip.
Plates:
Melun
Montbar
Dyon
Mursault (Meursault)
Maçon
Lyon
Valence
Bron van Vaucluse (Well of Vaucluse)
't Muzijkplaatje (Musical score leaf)
Marseille
Aix (Aix-en-Provence)
Amphitheater van Nismes (Amphitheatre of Nîmes)
Tempel van Cesar aldaar (Temple of Caesar in that city)
Pont du Gard
Narbonne
Barèges
Waterval van Gavarnie (Falls of Gavarnie)
Kleeding der bergbewoners (Garments of the mountain dwellers)
Schouwburg van Bordeaux (Bordeaux Theatre)
Oude steen te Bordeaux gevonden (Old stone found in Bordeaux)
De boeren van de Landes (Farmers of Landes)
Poitiers
Chartres
Rambouillet
De kaart van Frankrijk (Map of France)
An attractive copy of a very rare book with charming etchings depicting city views and scenes from the country site of early 19th century France. We only could trace 8 copies in institutional libraries, while there are no auction records either in ABPC or RBH.
Tiele 1212.
Click on a picture to enlarge.
