CHINA, TURKEY AND THE LEVANT - A sammelband consisting of 207 fine original watercolours of Turkish and Levantine figures, and 3 related 17th- and 18th-century printed works, including fine hand-coloured Chinese costume plates, folio, contemporary calf.

CHINA, TURKEY AND THE LEVANT - A sammelband consisting of 207 fine original watercolours and 3 printed works, comprising: 

207 FINE ORIGINAL WATERCOLOURS OF MAINLY TURKISH AND LEVANTINE FIGURES, many heightened in gold, consisting of 1) 160 watercolours, trimmed and laid down, four to a page, captioned in early French manuscript, each c.130 x c.85mm, 18th - early-19th-century; and 2) 47 watercolours in a different hand, including 2 folding, trimmed and laid down, four to a page, captioned in early French manuscript, each c.170 x c.110mm, 18th-early 19th-century;

[With:] [Jacques LE HAY (c.1645-c.1713) & Charles de FERRIOL (1652-1722).  Recueil de Cent Estampes Representant Differentes Nations du Levant Peintes d' aprés Nature en Mil Sept Cens Sept, & Mil Sept Cens Huit, par les Ordres de M. de Ferriol, Ambassadeur du Roy a la Porte, et Gravées en 1712 & 1713 par les Soins de Mr. Le Hay. Paris: Le Hay & Duchange, 1714]. 100 fine engraved plates by P. Simmoneau, G. Scotin, J. Haussard, C. N. Cochin, C. du Bose, B. Baron, J. De Franssieres and P. Rochefort after Jean-Baptiste Van Mour, one plate double-page and captioned "Mariage Turc" (lacks the letterpress title [but supplied in neat early manuscript] and without the text leaves, also lacking the 2 later unnumbered double-page plates and the leaf of engraved music found in some copies [see Brunet, note], the blank corner of plate 85 torn away, without loss) Atabey 430; Blackmer 591: "This publication certainly contained the most popular and influential illustrations of Turkish dress to date. Its use as a source book was widespread"; Brunet III, 85: "Ce recueil parut d'abord, en 1714, composé de 100 pl. seulement, sans explication. En 1715 on y ajouta l'explication impr. et deux nouvelles planches ... On y joignit en même temps une pl. de musique. Ces 3 dernières pl. manquent souvent [as here]"; Cohen-de Ricci 392l; Colas 1819-20; Koç 105a; Lewine pp.184-185 (citing the 1714-15 edition); Lipperheide 413.

[And:] Georges de LA CHAPELLE (d.1655).  Receul [sic] de Divers Portraits des Principales Dames de la Porte du Grand Turc, Tirée au naturel sur les lieux. Paris: "chez le Blond," [c.1648]. Elaborate engraved figural title incorporating portraits of Sultan Hebrain and Sultan Amurat and smaller scenes of executions and punishments in the lower border, 12 fine engraved plates of Turkish costumes by Georges de la Chapelle, trimmed and laid down, two to a page (some marginal soiling to the title, some very light marginal staining to the plates, without the text leaves). Atabey 648; Blackmer 935; Colas 1697. 

[And:] [Joachim BOUVET (1656-1730) & Pierre GIFFART (c.1631-1723, engraver).  L' Estat Present de la Chine. Paris: Pierre Giffart, 1697]. 59 fine engraved plates only, comprising plates 1 - 43, all of which HAND-COLOURED and heightened in gold, and plates 45 - 56 and 59 - 62, all uncoloured, depicting Chinese costumes, trades, punishments, etc. (i.e. lacking plates numbered 44 and 57 - 58, but including all the hand-coloured plates as called for in Brunet, without the title and text leaves). Bobins I, 169; Brunet I, 440: "Volume contenant 43 pl. color"; Colas 417; Cordier III, 1858; Vinet 2354. Please see the link below for additional illustrations of the hand-coloured plates of Chinese costumes.

AN EXCEPTIONAL COLLECTION OF FINE ORIGINAL COSTUME WATERCOLOURS AND ENGRAVED COSTUME PLATES, SOME HAND-COLOURED, OF CHINA, TURKEY AND THE LEVANT, MOST 17TH-18TH CENTURY, the whole bound in one volume, large folio (490 x 330mm). Contemporary calf, marbled endpapers (worn, joints and spine split). Sold as a collection of plates, not subject to return.

For more images of this lot please click here: