Descrizione
SAINT-NON, Jean Claude Richard, l’abbé de (1727-1791) – Voyage pittoresque ou description des royaumes de Naples et de Sicile. Paris: Clousier, 1781-86.
5 parts in 4 volumes, folio (503 x 333 mm.), fine and elegant contemporary red morocco, spine divided in 8 compartments richly decorated in gilt, light brown leather labels in the first two volumes and green in the others with title and volume number printed in gilt, blue endpapers and golden edges, the plates protected by original tissue paper (very light browning).
Half-titles and titles with engraved vignettes in each of the five volumes, engraved dedication to Queen Marie Antoinette, finely engraved headpieces and elegant tailpieces, some protected by tissue paper and others in contemporary handcolouring, a full-page illustration of the Vesuvius on the recto of 3F2. The composition of the volumes and the plates matches to what is reported by Brunet, V, 55, except for the text leaves of the third volume inserted between pp. 130-131 which vary slightly and the division of the two parts (or tomes) in the fourth volume where half-title and title are inserted after p. 236 instead of p. 266.
There are 305 engraved plates which include 15 maps, plans and views; often two illustrations are engraved on the same sheet, but most of the plates are in large format. They are divided as follows: first volume has 51 plates of which 3 maps; thhe second volume has 84 plates of which 2 maps and more than 20 hand-coloured tailpieces in black and orange. The volume also includes the Phallus plate on p. 52 which is often missing in many copies. The third volume with 63 plates, including 4 maps (the illustrations contained in the plates are numbered from 1 to 100 as described in Brunet, but there are no plates 11 and 98), plates 87-88 are numbered 24bis and 15, plates 84, 85, 86 are respectively numbered 24, 11, 12. The fourth volume has 65 plates in the first part (of which 3 maps) and 41 in the second part, which include a view, 2 maps and 14 engraved plates depicting ancient coins (some occasional browning and foxing, a few others occasional and minimal defects). Five plates have the number and title corrected or written manuscript.
A splendid copy in contemporary red morocco of the first edition of one of the most celebrated illustrated books of the 18th-century. First state with plates 87-88 of the third volume numbered as 24bis and 15, but also with plates 84, 85, 86 of the same volume numbered respectively 24, 11, 12. Jean-Claude-Richard Saint-Non was a French draftsman and engraver; great lover of art, he devoted himself to drawing and engraving, perfecting himself in etching and aquatint. He travelled to England and Italy and his friendship with Fragonard and Hubert Robert led him to transcribe the sketches and drawings of views and landscapes collected during the trip in aquatint. Millard, French 148: “the completed work is one of the most beautiful that a private person has ever produced, and it is unparalleled among the sumptuous voyage pittoresque publications”. Cohen-Ricci 928-930. Brunet V, 55-56: “Un des premiers beaux ouvrages de ce genre qui ait paru en France”.
