The Richly Illustrated First French Edition of Voyages de Corneille Le Brun par la Moscovie, en Perse, et aux Indes Orientales

Corneille Le Brun (Cornelis de Bruijn). VOYAGES DE CORNEILLE LE BRUN PAR LA MOSCOVIE, EN PERSE, ET AUX INDES ORIENTALES... 2 vols. (complete). Amsterdam: Chez les Freres Wetstein, 1718. First French edition. Rebound in half calf over marbled paper-covered boards, gilt-decorated and lettered spines with raised bands, endpapers refreshed. Folio; half-title, engraved frontispiece, title page printed in red and black, [2], portrait, [2], (3) folding maps, 252pp.; title page printed in red and black, 253-469, [1]pp. A total of (262) numbered engravings as called for by Brunet, many folding plates, and in many cases with numerous images on each plate, (11) unnumbered engravings on (4) folding plates, and more than (40) in-text illustrations. With printed marginalia, decorated initials, and tail-pieces. Text in French. Provenance: Princes of Liechtenstein bookplate ("Ex Libris Liechtensteinianis") of Franz Joseph II (1906-1989) on front paste-downs. Brunet III 911; Cohen-de Ricci 610; Lipperheide 547.

14 1/8 x 8 3/4 in. each

Corneille Le Brun (also Cornelis de Bruijn or de Bruyn) (1652-1726/1727) was a Dutch artist, author, and traveller who spent time studying painting in both the Hague and in Italy. He wrote two illustrated books about his extensive and lengthy journeys. On his first trip he visited Asia Minor (today's Turkey) and Egypt, and on his second he went to Russia, Persia, and the East Indies. Both books contain hundreds of engravings and were published in several languages. This second travel account, first published in Dutch in 1711, contains engravings of people, costumes, plants, animals, landscapes, and cityscapes, including large fold-out views of Moscow and "Spahan" (Isfahan, Iran) and numerous images of Persepolis.

Sturdy boards with edgewear, rubbed and bumped corners, and heavy scuffing; spines lightly rubbed and creased with wear at ends and wormholes (heaviest in vol. II causing some tearing and cracking of leather backstrip); some rubbing at joints and small areas of cracking at hinges; pages with some light toning, edges browned, mostly light scattered foxing concentrated at margins, and with occasional light fraying including edge chipping and a rare small tear (none impacting images or text); a few small damp stains and occasional light grime, pencil notation, and wormhole; some areas or leaves with more moderate toning, a few plates with a vertical line of browning; 3rd map with small stains and separation at fold not impacting image; plate with engravings 98-100 partially detached; 3G2 with small loss at lower margin; final leaf of vol. 1 (2I2) with a repair at outer margin; interiors generally extremely bright, crisp, and clean; endpapers refreshed with one front and rear free endpaper in each volume; title page and final leaf (3P1) in vol. II with horizontal chain lines; a couple of plates bound slightly out of order; easily very good with spectacular illustrations.