Paris

First edition in French, translated by Renée Vivien, for which there was no mention of large paper copies.
Handsome autograph inscription signed by Renée Vivien to Jeanne de Bellune : "pour mon petit (Jeannot) d'une qui l'aime / Renée [For my dear little (Jeannot), from one who loves her]".
With illustrations by Lévy-Dhurmer.
Spine faded with small lack to head, one tear glued down to foot of one joint, internally good.

Original print folio untrimmed extracted Travellers in Lower and Upper Egypt Vivant Denon. Folding plate decorated with an engraving as described by the author: A third manuscript; it was given to me by Amelin citizen: it only feature that the priest costume, which appears to be a warrior; her hair surmounted, and crossed by a knife; her transparent dress, above which is a tiger skin, which indiqueroit military; it has a vase whose fate it seems that a flame. It can also be observed in this manuscript, whose writing is larger and more elaborate, unlike enrollment characters that are above the table, and the cursory nature of the rest of the manuscript. To make because of the colors of these pictures I took of the same party, cast burning colors by sizes, warning the reader that the horizontal size indicated by the red, the blue vertical size; tilted the verd size, and the black cross size. Some foxing mainly marginal, otherwise good condition. Published for the first time in two volumes, an atlas of engravings, Didot, in 1802, the 'Journey to the Lower and Upper Egypt proved so successful that it was translated in 1803 into English and German, and a few years later in Dutch and Italian, among others. Almost all boards are designed by Denon, who also engraved himself a few, including portraits of the inhabitants of Egypt, who still kept the freshness of sketches taken on the spot (our 104-111 ). Two dozen writers have also collaborated on the creation of which Baltard, Galen, Reville and other etchings. Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon says Vivant Denon, born in Givry January 4, 1747 and died in Paris April 27, 1825, is a writer, author, diplomat and French administrator. At the invitation of Bonaparte, he joined the expedition to Egypt in shipping from May 14, 1798 on the frigate "La Juno." Protected by French troops, he had the opportunity to travel the country in all directions in order to gather the material that was the basis for his artistic work and the most important literary. It supports in particular General Desaix in Upper Egypt, which he refers to numerous sketches, ink wash and other drawings in pen, black chalk, or chalk. He draws constantly, usually on his knee, standing or on horseback, and sometimes even under enemy fire. After a journey of 13 months during which he draws thousands of drawings, Vivant Denon returned to France with Bonaparte, and became the first artist to publish the story of the expedition. The 141 boards that accompany his diary retrace its entire journey from the coast of Corsica to the pharaonic monuments of Upper Egypt. Bonaparte then appointed Director General of the Central Museum of the Republic, which became the Napoleon Museum and the Royal Louvre and arts administrator. In 1805, Vivant Denon revival project of the Vendome column, which had been suspended in 1803 then organizes expeditions across Europe to raise imperial works of art which are plundered to be carried away to the Louvre. In 1814, Louis XVIII confirmed as head of the Louvre, one wing of which still bears his name today. It is considered a great precursor of museology, art history and Egyptology.

Original, unshaved, full-page etching from the “Imperial edition” of the Description de l'Égypte, or ‘Recueil des observations et recherches faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition française, publié par les ordres de Sa Majesté l'Empereur Napoléon le Grand [A Collection of the observations and research carried out in Egypt during the French expedition, published on the orders of his Majesty the Emperor Napoleon the Great]’.

Produced between February 1802 and 1830 on the orders of Naopleon Bonaparte and published between 1809 and 1828, 1,000 copies were printed and distributed to institutions, on vergé paper with an 'Égypte ancienne et moderne' watermark, visible when held up to the light.
Light marginal spotting not touching image, otherwise in very fresh, fine condition.

An engraving from the Description de l’Egypte, one of the masterpieces of French printing and the birth of a new field: Egyptology. A gigantic survey of Egypt at the time of Bonaparte’s conquests in 1798 and 1799, the work is divided into 13 volumes of engravings making up 892 plates, of which 72 colored, as well as presenting the splendors of the Egypt of the Pharaohs in 9 volumes. The other volumes discuss natural history and present a fascinating portrait of Coptic and Islamic Egypt as it was seen by Bonaparte’s Eastern Armies.

The ‘Egyptian campaign’, militarily a disaster, demonstrates, through the engravings of the Description d’Egypte, the scientific success it nonetheless became thanks to the 167 expert members of the Commission of the Sciences and Arts of the Institut d’Egypte [Egyptian Institute] who followed Napoleon’s army. The Institut gathered together in Egypt the mathematician Monge, the chemist Berthollet, the naturalist Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire as well as numerous artists, engineers, architects and doctors. They were tasked with re-discovering modern and ancient Egypt and displaying its natural treasures as well as the know-how of its inhabitants.

This edition, the so-called “Imperial” edition of the plates for the Description de l’Egypte was printed in four large formats, two of which were specially created for it and christened “Moyen-Egypte” and “Grand-Egypte”. A special press was built to print it, the process extending over 20 years, from 1809 to 1829. The “Imperial” edition proved so popular that a second edition, this time in black and white and without the “Egypte ancienne et moderne” watermark – known as the “Royal Edition” – was published during the Restoration by the printing house of C.-L.-F. Panckoucke (Paris).

The engravings of the Description d’Egypte owe a great deal to Baron Dominique-Vivant Denon, illustrator, diplomat, collector and later Director of the Musée Napoléon (the Louvre). His exploration of the South of Egypt gave Bonaparte the idea of sending the experts of the Institut there, thus creating a faithful and complete portrait of the area. This was the research gathered together from 1802 in the mammoth Description de L’Egypte.

Denon embarked on this story of archeological exploration at the age of 51, reaching first Alexandria and then Cairo before exploring Upper Egypt. Along with the members of the Institut d’Egypte, the Natural History Museum’s painter H.J. Redouté (brother of Pierre-Joseph Redouté, author of Roses), the mineralogist Dolomiue, and the draughtsman Joly, Denon then explored the Nile Delta and Lower Egypt. When, however, he joined the 21st Light Infantry Regiment as it marched across Upper Egypt in pursuit of the retreating Mameluks in November 1798, he found himself the only civilian. In the very midst of the battle itself, he reeled off sketches of the works of art that peppered his path right up to the threshold of the Sudan. He said that he had crossed “a country that is, apart from its name, entirely unknown to Europeans, and therefore everything was worth describing” (Voyages dans la Basse et la Haute Egypte pendant les campagnes de Bonaparte en 1798 et 1799, 1817).

On his return to Cairo, the great general, spellbound by Denon’s accounts and drawings ordered two commissions to be set up, led by the engineers Fourier and Costaz. They were tasked with the scientific study of the ancient remains in Upper Egypt; research that proved a significant contribution to the monumental Description d’Egypte, from which this plate is taken.

ANCIENT EGYPT

These engravings therefore represent a unique body of material that contributed to Jean-François Champollion’s deciphering of hieroglyphics, and which mark the beginning of the line of Mariette, Maspero and Carter, who would reshape the face of Ancient Egypt. They also started a craze that gave birth to the phenomenon of Egyptomania and the Orientalism of Delacroix, Fromentin, Marilhat, Decamps and Théophile Gautier. Financiers, politicians, merchants and all kinds of treasure-hunters made their way to the banks of the Nile in search of riches, following this rediscovery of Egypt. The originators of Egyptology, these plates were to have a hugely influential afterlife.

NATURAL HISTORY

These engravings show the scientific genius of the French experts then working on the ground in Egypt, laying the foundations for its becoming a French colony. This colonizing project, which had been mooted since the reign of Louis XIV, was now accompanied – with Bonaparte’s arrival – by an in-depth study of the country’s fauna and flora thanks to the work of the most eminent naturalists, mineralogists, and entomologists of the day. The Description de l’Egypte shows all of this immense scientific undertaking through its engravings, which were done after drawings by members of the Academy of Science, including Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hillaire, Alire Raffenau-Delile and Henri-Joseph Redouté. In the words of Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, “We have gathered the material for the greatest work that a nation could hope to undertake. In mourning the fate of so many brave soldiers who – after so many glorious exploits – fell in Egypt, we shall be able to console ourselves that such precious works came into being.”

MODERN EGYPT

The genius of the experts of the Institut d’Egypte is revealed in the plates of the section known as “Modern Egypte”. Architecture, industry, social organization, conditions of health, irrigation, music, and crafts, are all presented with exceptional precision and powers of description. The spirit of Diderot and d’Alembert’s Encyclopédie runs through the work of the draughtsmen of the Description de L’Egypte, who accompanied the text volumes with numerous detailed plates, undertaking to produce a portrait of the local population that was imbued with both beauty and respect. Wealthy Pashas and simple artisan potters are sensitively represented here, going about their business in beautifully composed images that nonetheless do not fall into the traps of idealism or caricature.

ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE (the “Cairo” plates)

The set of engravings to which this plate belongs constitutes one of the first complete studies of the monuments of Islamic Egypt in Cairo, bringing together maps, sections and elevations of mosques, mausoleums and fortifications, from the Tulunid era in the 9th century up to the Mameluk constructions contemporaneous with the arrival of the Bonapartist troops. At the same time, the architects and engineers of the Institut d’Egypte also made a big series of plates dedicated to civilian housing and edifices in Cairo, including both grander and more modest constructions, providing a precious picture of life in Cairo at the end of the 19th century.

BAB AL FOUTOUH

Bab el-Foutouh, " The Conquest Gate” marks the northern limit of Fatimid old Cairo. Rebuilt in 1087, it is highly defensive in nature owing to the turbulent climate in 11th Century Cairo, which saw a number of popular uprisings. An imposing gate, it has two semicircular towers with low-slung arches made of heavy blocks of stone anchored within the ramparts. The sizeable passage through the gate (4.85m wide by 6.79m high) has a shallow dome.

BAB EL NASR

Bab el-Nasr, “The Victory Gate” is on the northern wall of the Fatimid fortress in Cairo. Its two enormous rectangular towers were rebuilt in 1087 after a long period of popular uprisings. On this highly attractive frontal image signed Protain, one can admire the sculpted shields in the corners of the gate and on the towers, symbolizing victory and protection against invaders. After taking Cairo, Napoleon named all the towers along the wall of the fortress after the officers assigned to guard them. Their names are still engraved on the upper parts of the walls of the gate.

SULTAN HASSAN MOSQUE

The massive architectural complex constructed by Sultan Hassan at the foot of the citadel in Cairo was built in the ostentatious style so characteristic of Mameluk architecture. Completed in 1356, the Sultan Hassan Mosque has a monumental gate and a 57m high minaret. This group of buildings, comprising a mausoleum that was never put to use, was strategically built on the site of a square that saw the start of a number of popular uprisings. The mosque was heavily inspired by Iranian models.

Philae

This plate is taken from a set of engravings dedicated to the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae. The final bastion of the worship of the ancient Egyptian gods, the temple of Isis was the last pagan temple to be in use before it was closed in the 6th century A.D. under Justinian. Construction on the temple began under the Ptolemies, a period of growth for the Isis cult. Isis was the sister and wife of Osiris and mother to Horus.

Kom Ombo (Ombos)

The Kom Ombo site, 40 kilometers from Aswan, is home to one of the best preserved ancient Egyptian temples, dedicated to Sobek, a crocodile god and Haroeris, a form of Horus. Built in the Ptolemaic era, it was actually founded during the XVIIIth Dynasty. Its massive Composite capitals and highly accomplished reliefs are captured accurately by the draughtsmen of the Institut d’Egypte, Jollois, Balzac and Cécile. The dual aspect of its design, intended for worship of two different divine triads – those of Sobek and Haroeris – is reproduced in great detail by the architects and engineers of the Egyptian campaign through this set of prints, which preceded the first archeological digs in the building by Auguste Mariette in 1828.

Edfu

This plate is taken from a series of views of the great temple at Edfu and the various buildings in its cultic complex. The temple of Horus, a jewel of Ptolemaic architecture and exceptionally well-preserved, is made up of a majestic entry gate and a hypostyle chamber, which are both extensively documented thanks to the engravings by the experts of the Institut d’Egypte. Begun in 237 BC by Ptolemy III and completed 180 years later under Tiberius, it proved an extraordinary sight for the draughtsmen come to explore the left bank of the Nile.

Esna and its environs

The town of Esna (Esneh or Latopolis in Bonaparte’s time), lies fifty kilometers to the south of Luxor. The experts from the Institut de l’Egypte documented their discovery of its temple, dedicated to Khnum, one of the gods of creation who worked with clay and had the head of a ram; he controlled the life-giving flooding of the Nile, the source of fertility. He was associated with Nebt-uu, the mistress of the countryside and Menhyt, a goddess with the head of a lion. This temple, partially rebuilt during the Ptolemaic era, was added to right up to the reign of Tiberius. The draughtsmen also produced a number of views of the neighboring temples, most notably the less well-preserved temple of Contra-Latopolis to the north of Esna.

Thebes

Medinet-Habu

Close to Thebes and Luxor on the left bank of the Nile, the city of Medinet-Habu is home to one of the most attractive temples of New Kingdom period Egypt, the mortuary temple of Ramses III. This dates from the middle of the 12th century BC, and is based on the famous Ramesseum of his predecessor, which it surpasses in size. A funerary temple celebrating the Pharaoh, the experts of the Institut d’Egypte set about creating cross-sections, plans and elevations, and most especially capturing its numerous bas-reliefs. The architects and draughtsmen also focused on the Royal Palace and its internal peristyle within the 12-metre fortress that encircles the religious complex, including the Temple of Amon, located at the south-east of the site and begun in the reign of Hatshepsut at the end of the 15th Century BC.

Memnonium

The Memnonium, a name used by visitors to the Valley of the Kings from 1750 to 1850, refers to a set of three royal buildings constructed during the New Kingdom: the Ramesseum, the Temple of Amenhotep III and the Temple of Sethi I. The draughtsmen and architects of Bonaparte’s Institut, sent out on expedition across Upper Egypt from 1799 documented Thebes and the Valley of the Kings, even attempting to reconstruct some of the buildings on the basis of descriptions by Classical authors. The tomb of Ozymandias (one of the numerous names of Ramses II), in a very poor state, thus became the subject of very thorough study and an attempt to fill in its missing bits on the basis of the writings of Diodurus Siculus. This Greek historian of the Augustine period stayed in the valley of the Nile from 60-57 BC and his visit to the tomb of Ramses II is recounted in his monumental Bibliotheca Historica (Book I, XLVII-XLIX).

At the same time, the experts also made extremely detailed studies and views of the Colossi of Memnon, all that remains of a huge memorial temple to Amenhotep III built on the road to the necropolis in the Valley of the Kings. These colossi were located at the entrance to the temple in front of a preliminary pylon made of brick. These two statues represent King Amenhotep III framed to the right by the great Royal Consort Tiy and to the left by the Queen Mother Mutemwiya.

Hypogea and Biban el Moluk

This plate is taken from a series of engravings of the hypogea in the Valley of the Kings (Biban el Moluk) in Thebes. Some are in color to show the vivid hues of the sarcophaguses and mysterious murals whose secret had yet to be broken by Jean-François Champollion. The draughtsmen of the Institut, including the famous Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, sent by Napoleon to cover Upper Egypt in 1799, capture with élan the royal mummies and the artifacts that accompanied the dead in their journey to the netherworld: urns, furniture, weapons, idols and the mummies of numerous mammals and birds.

Karnak

This plate is from a set on the Great Temple at Karnak, built during the New Kingdom at the time of Ramses III. This enormous complex is divided into three parts and is dedicated to the Theban Triad of gods, Amun, Mut and Khonsu. Its sculptures, internal bas-reliefs and sunken reliefs on the external facades are intricately captured by the engineers of the Institut, while the architects worked out the complex groundplan of this edifice, which was divided into facades, colonnaded halls and sacral spaces reserved for the temple priests. The alley of the monumental sphinx which links the site to the Luxor site was also the subject of a plate by Lepère, an architect from the Institut who took part in the expedition across Upper Egypt.

Dendera

The experts executed views and drawings of the temples of Dendera (or Tentyra), a city in Upper Egypt 60km to the north of Luxor. They have captured, with an exceptional degree of graphic artistry, the thick, round nature of the sculpted reliefs of the great Temple of Hathor, built under the Ptolemies in the first half of the 1st century BC. They also produced interesting views of the neighboring temples as well as a selection of reliefs of the “Dendera Zodiac”, a chapel dedicated to Osiris and located beneath the temple of Hathor. Its famous astronomical relief was discovered by the French General Desaix – stationed in Upper Egypt by Bonaparte from 1798 – and taken back to France in 1821 by Claude Lelorrain; it is now on display in the Louvre. Another astronomical and cosmological relief on the ceiling of the hypostyle hall of the Temple of Hathor is the subject of a magnificent plate by Jollois and Devilliers. This covers seven soffit coffers of the ceiling and is an immense allegorical image showing several levels of consciousness: that of cosmogony, the constellations and their effect on the Earth, the creation of Man, and the Nomes of Egypt, symbolized by 21 pairs of wings topped with the red crown of Lower Egypt and the white tiara of Upper Egypt.

The Pyramids at Memphis

The Giza Plateau, near Memphis, is home to three of the most famous Ancient Egyptian Pyramids, the tombs of Cheops, Khafre and Menkaure, Pharaohs of the 4th Dynasty (2620-2500 BC). The experts of the Institut, hurrying to Memphis, explored the plateau and made numerous views of these majestic pyramids, towering over inhabitants and mounted figures. They also made minutely detailed views of the epigraphs on the tombs adjacent to the pyramids, as well as views of the Sphinx of Gaza near the Pyramid of Khafre.

Views of Alexandria

A plate taken from a set of view of Alexandria as it was found by Napoleon’s army in June 1798. Embarking in Toulon on the 14th May, his troops disembarked at Alexandria a month later and explored this port city before heading towards Cairo to take the capital.

First edition on ordinary paper.
Important autograph inscription from Colette to Jeanne de Bellune "... affectueux souvenir de son amie...[affectionate souvenir from her friend…]"
Insignificant small and light stains to spine, endpapers uniformly and lightly sunned, the very occasional wormhole affecting a few margins, internally good.
A precious copy with an exceptional provenance.

First edition on ordinary paper, fictitiously stated the 42nd edition.
Important autograph inscription from Colette to Vicountess Jeanne de Bellune "... à mon frère et ami Jeannot / affectueux souvenir...[to my brother and friend Jeannot / affectionate souvenir…]”, also signed by Willy.
A slight lack to foot of spine, small stains to foot of lower cover.
A handsome copy with an extraordinary provenance. 

First edition. Contributions by B. Cendrars "Continent noir", J. Cocteau "Le secret professionnel", T. Derème...

Original print folio untrimmed extracted Travellers in Lower and Upper Egypt Vivant Denon. Board decorated with an engraving subdivided into several figures, and described by the author: A manuscript No.1 canvas or strip mummy found in a yard of the store curiosities of the Academy of Sciences; it consists of a series of nineteen pages separated and framed with many labels: the first has a title written in red; the first word of each column is written with the same color; the ball of the first vignette, No. 1, feems to be the sun; it is colored red; what comes out is probably a beam of light, alternately composed of red blood cells, blood cells and black; Then come pages, where the thumbnails are birds I have not figured that one of the pages of writing, because all would have required a large space without adding any interest in printmaking as it does have not found a way to read the manuscript; it is enough to see a few to satisfy curiosity, and where others exist if we succeed in being able to read; until now the tables have a particular interest; as here, monolithic temples 13, 17 and 18, which clearly show that these species monuments were used to hold the sacred birds, as I thought when I found avois the first again in his place in the temple of Philée (see the map of this island, board LXX, No. 22, the figure I have drawn apart, pl. XLI, No. 1, and the newspaper, tom. II, page 94). No. 2 is a hawk with a human head, a figure before him in an attitude of admiration. No.3 A hawk on a cage. No.4 A hawk on a slab. No.5 A Lapwing bird very multiplied in Egypt, and of which there is number of species. No. 6 A lady of Numidia. No.7 A snake man's head. No. 8 The consecration of a lotus flower. No 9.A same dedication to a head coming out of the lotus plant. No. 10 A man kneeling in front of three deities that seem the same. No. 11 A crow perched on a wide semicircle marked points, which can be stars; what pourroit be the emblem of the night. No. 12 A boat on the water. No.13 A small monolith temple; two hawks outside the temple, placed on the stylobate; a figure of seated man holding a stick, which seems to be their guardian; the seat, very elegant, consists of a body of animal, his legs, his thighs, and tail. No. 14 A figure, I always thought it to be that of the earth, and placed embedded in a slab; a sharp instrument seems to divide into two parts. No. 15 A man in wolf's head, with room to a deity in the form of term; he wears the same time hand over part of the generation of this deity. No. 16 A sacrifice; under the altar are vessels of holy water. No. 17 A figure in awe of a tabernacle or temple monolith, the door is closed; the door is a trellis. No. 18 A monolith temple, a figure opens the door and has to eat the bird that is locked. No. 19 The same vignette as No. 10 after that just four tables one above the other and take the whole diameter of the manuscript: one from above is a boat; the second, a man on his knees makes an offering of four vases, and other things I do not know how to name, in a seated divinity; the third, another offering to two figures who appear to be two gods; the fourth is half torn. Alongside are four other tables, which are not complete, Because at this point the tape was torn: one from above is an offering of the thigh of an animal three squatting deities, of which the middle is red ; a boat driven by a man crouching, holding an oar with both hands, and in the same attitude still practiced in Egypt; The second table is a harvest maturity, a man cut with a sickle; another man who treats a plant that is no longer of corn, but rice or doura: in the third, a man who plows; he holds the horn of the plow, and supports the foot on the shares; the plow is pulled by an ox; there are very badly drawn trees, between which are two figures of the earth; the first band is highly degraded. The last line at the bottom of the print, are reliefs taken in small monuments that are near the pyramids of Gizeh, representing various actions privacy, a series of rural occupations, transport their produce to market towns, fishing, hunting, etc. It may be noted that when the figures are no longer hieroglyphic or emblematic sculpture loses its stiffness poses; movement indicates that the action perfectly, and often a very graceful manner, as can be seen, letter D, the group that gazelle nursing her baby. Light foxing mainly marginal, otherwise good condition. Published for the first time in two volumes, an atlas of engravings, Didot, in 1802, the 'Journey to the Lower and Upper Egypt proved so successful that it was translated in 1803 into English and German, and a few years later in Dutch and Italian, among others. Almost all boards are designed by Denon, who also engraved himself a few, including portraits of the inhabitants of Egypt, who still kept the freshness of sketches taken on the spot (our 104-111 ). Two dozen writers have also collaborated on the creation of which Baltard, Galen, Reville and other etchings. Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon says Vivant Denon, born in Givry January 4, 1747 and died in Paris April 27, 1825, is a writer, author, diplomat and French administrator. At the invitation of Bonaparte, he joined the expedition to Egypt in shipping from May 14, 1798 on the frigate "La Juno." Protected by French troops, he had the opportunity to travel the country in all directions in order to gather the material that was the basis for his artistic work and the most important literary. It supports in particular General Desaix in Upper Egypt, which he refers to numerous sketches, ink wash and other drawings in pen, black chalk, or chalk. He draws constantly, usually on his knee, standing or on horseback, and sometimes even under enemy fire. After a journey of 13 months during which he draws thousands of drawings, Vivant Denon returned to France with Bonaparte, and became the first artist to publish the story of the expedition. The 141 boards that accompany his diary retrace its entire journey from the coast of Corsica to the pharaonic monuments of Upper Egypt. Bonaparte then appointed Director General of the Central Museum of the Republic, which became the Napoleon Museum and the Royal Louvre and arts administrator. In 1805, Vivant Denon revival project of the Vendome column, which had been suspended in 1803 then organizes expeditions across Europe to raise imperial works of art which are plundered to be carried away to the Louvre. In 1814, Louis XVIII confirmed as head of the Louvre, one wing of which still bears his name today. It is considered a great precursor of museology, art history and Egyptology.

Original print folio, taken from Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt Vivant Denon. Board decorated with an engraving divided into two figures, and described by the author: # 1 is the plan of small apartment that is about the height of the Great Temple of Tentyra: It is difficult to say what was the use: it was an oratory, an observatory, a sanctuary, an apartment? Judging by the subjects that are sculpted we might believe that it was a place to study, a place devoted to astronomy, or perhaps devoted entirely to the burial of a person who would have recommended part of discovery, the results of studies of his life; there was entering through a small door, 4: the first room, C, is no ceiling, and looks like a small courtyard, decorated with the same care as other parts; against the side wall on the right shows a mummy lying beneath which is a long inscription; a door, No. 2, was entering into the room B, lighted by two large windows; on the ceiling of this room is carved celestial planisphere, same board, 2; a great figure, board CXVIII, No. 5, and another bas-relief, board CXXIX, No. 4; In the room, almost completely obscure, receives air and light through the door, No. 1; its ceiling is decorated with two bas-reliefs, which can be seen drawing some board CXXIX, No. 6: I have not had time to draw each other apart; it was less interesting and very rough: this sketch is the small mass without detail. No.2 When I made the drawing of the planisphere, I was not expected to give an explanation, but bring proof that the Egyptians had a planetary system, that their acquaintance was reduced from heaven principles that the only image of their signs prouvoit course the Greeks had taken these signs in them, and by the Romans they were come down to us; I thought finally put me in the case to provide scholars and antiquarians of Europe a fitting tribute to them, and earn their gratitude. Light exposure, a few tiny specks, otherwise good condition. Published for the first time in two volumes, an atlas of engravings, Didot, in 1802, the 'Journey to the Lower and Upper Egypt proved so successful that it was translated in 1803 into English and German, and a few years later in Dutch and Italian, among others. Almost all boards are designed by Denon, who also engraved himself a few, including portraits of the inhabitants of Egypt, who still kept the freshness of sketches taken on the spot (our 104-111 ). Two dozen writers have also collaborated on the creation of which Baltard, Galen, Reville and other etchings. Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon says Vivant Denon, born in Givry January 4, 1747 and died in Paris April 27, 1825, is a writer, author, diplomat and French administrator. At the invitation of Bonaparte, he joined the expedition to Egypt in shipping from May 14, 1798 on the frigate "La Juno." Protected by French troops, he had the opportunity to travel the country in all directions in order to gather the material that was the basis for his artistic work and the most important literary. It supports in particular General Desaix in Upper Egypt, which he refers to numerous sketches, ink wash and other drawings in pen, black chalk, or chalk. He draws constantly, usually on his knee, standing or on horseback, and sometimes even under enemy fire. After a journey of 13 months during which he draws thousands of drawings, Vivant Denon returned to France with Bonaparte, and became the first artist to publish the story of the expedition. The 141 boards that accompany his diary retrace its entire journey from the coast of Corsica to the pharaonic monuments of Upper Egypt. Bonaparte then appointed Director General of the Central Museum of the Republic, which became the Napoleon Museum and the Royal Louvre and arts administrator. In 1805, Vivant Denon revival project of the Vendome column, which had been suspended in 1803 then organizes expeditions across Europe to raise imperial works of art which are plundered to be carried away to the Louvre. In 1814, Louis XVIII confirmed as head of the Louvre, one wing of which still bears his name today. It is considered a great precursor of museology, art history and Egyptology.

Original print folio untrimmed extracted Travellers in Lower and Upper Egypt Vivant Denon. Folding plate decorated with an engraving subdivided into three figures, and described by the author: No.1 This relief is carved on one of the beds of the portico of the great temple of Tentyra (see map, plate XL, 8). Between the two bands, No. 1, there had hieroglyphic characters, I did not have time to copy; all cartels that accompany the figures are accurate; those that can not be distinguished in the engraving are unintelligible even in the truth, or because they have been broken by printing the bullets that were fired into the ceiling or by stalactites in covered terrain: it is the same with some figures that I gave in the same state where I found them; the stars that accompany each figure and cartel announced that the purpose of these reliefs is on astronomy; entire first band is occupied by figures of serpents, as the ceiling of the portico of the temple of Latopolis at Esne. A feature of the second band is the figure of the sun under the emblem of the hawk, amid charts with stars, whose number gradually increases from one to twelve, except the last, which he be wanting in two which will probably been destroyed. Would be this year, and the sun in the middle of his race? No. 2 The following Egyptian deities are carved in this order on the frieze of the door which is under the portico Apollinopolis magna at Etfu; I joined them with severe accuracy all characters which appear to be the names, attributes or qualities of each of these figures: it is noted that fourteen of them are ready to ride fourteen empty stairs leading to a sign, which is an eye on the prow of a ship in a disc of the moon, carried on a support, ending in a lotus flower, behind which is a small divinity; the same number of steps, the same number of deities, the same sign, and the same little god, are carved on each step of the ceiling of the portico of Tentyra (same plane, # 3): I again found the same along the stairs going up to the platform of the nave to the platform of the portico of the same temple, and the same number fourteen in the small apartments on the height of the temple (see the map board CXXX, No. 1, Section B and Figure board CXXIX, No. 4). In the bas-relief of the figures have Apollinopolis legs engaged; in that of Tentyra there alternately figure of a man, a woman's face: I thought I should show these comparisons and differences material to those who will attach abstract ideas. No.3 I warn the reader that all the signs of small domestic cartels attached to the figures are accurate, but the entire border is so only in the form of inscriptions, I have not had time to take and with time I should have been able to give only very imperfectly, or by the smallness of the characters or by the distance at which they are placed, or finally by their state of decay, accelerated by the filtration of water in the use of those who lived in later times the height of the temple, and have built houses, the walls of unbaked bricks still exist. Foxing, two tiny marginal snags, otherwise good condition. Published for the first time in two volumes, an atlas of engravings, Didot, in 1802, the 'Journey to the Lower and Upper Egypt proved so successful that it was translated in 1803 into English and German, and a few years later in Dutch and Italian, among others. Almost all boards are designed by Denon, who also engraved himself a few, including portraits of the inhabitants of Egypt, who still kept the freshness of sketches taken on the spot (our 104-111 ). Two dozen writers have also collaborated on the creation of which Baltard, Galen, Reville and other etchings. Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon says Vivant Denon, born in Givry January 4, 1747 and died in Paris April 27, 1825, is a writer, author, diplomat and French administrator. At the invitation of Bonaparte, he joined the expedition to Egypt in shipping from May 14, 1798 on the frigate "La Juno." Protected by French troops, he had the opportunity to travel the country in all directions in order to gather the material that was the basis for his artistic work and the most important literary. It supports in particular General Desaix in Upper Egypt, which he refers to numerous sketches, ink wash and other drawings in pen, black chalk, or chalk. He draws constantly, usually on his knee, standing or on horseback, and sometimes even under enemy fire. After a journey of 13 months during which he draws thousands of drawings, Vivant Denon returned to France with Bonaparte, and became the first artist to publish the story of the expedition. The 141 boards that accompany his diary retrace its entire journey from the coast of Corsica to the pharaonic monuments of Upper Egypt. Bonaparte then appointed Director General of the Central Museum of the Republic, which became the Napoleon Museum and the Royal Louvre and arts administrator. In 1805, Vivant Denon revival project of the Vendome column, which had been suspended in 1803 then organizes expeditions across Europe to raise imperial works of art which are plundered to be carried away to the Louvre. In 1814, Louis XVIII confirmed as head of the Louvre, one wing of which still bears his name today. It is considered a great precursor of museology, art history and Egyptology.

Original print folio untrimmed extracted Travellers in Lower and Upper Egypt Vivant Denon. Folding plate decorated with an engraving divided into two figures, as described by the author: Both sides of the zodiac on the two most opposite of the ceiling of the portico of the temple of Tentyra beds (see map, plate XL , No. 8): the two great figures appear to be those enveloping the year. The winged sign that is in front of their mouth is that of eternity or the passage of the sun at the solstices: the disc is at the juncture of the thighs in Figure 1, the Sun, where he leaves a beam of light falling on a head of Isis, which represents or earth or the moon; sun, placed the sign of cancer, can be used to time the erection of the temple: the accompanying signs, the fixed stars; those in boats, moving stars, the planets, and comets. More objects in these tables are, the more they appear to me to be left to the scientists to whom they belong; my comments should apply particularly in small isolated objects, which localities, reconciliations, circumstances, give interest, which details my observations can sometimes give existence. These large flower beds are sculpted and painted; characters in natural colors on a strewn with yellow stars blue background: I have marked as those in relief, the other being in any number, and having gone mostly by degradation. Registration is accurate; I marked by small strokes where the degradation does not allow me to distinguish the figures; a large piece of stone that fell took away several of the second strip. Some foxing mainly marginal, two clever old restores using pieces of a similar paper on the back, otherwise good condition. Published for the first time in two volumes, an atlas of engravings, Didot, in 1802, the 'Journey to the Lower and Upper Egypt proved so successful that it was translated in 1803 into English and German, and a few years later in Dutch and Italian, among others. Almost all boards are designed by Denon, who also engraved himself a few, including portraits of the inhabitants of Egypt, who still kept the freshness of sketches taken on the spot (our 104-111 ). Two dozen writers have also collaborated on the creation of which Baltard, Galen, Reville and other etchings. Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon says Vivant Denon, born in Givry January 4, 1747 and died in Paris April 27, 1825, is a writer, author, diplomat and French administrator. At the invitation of Bonaparte, he joined the expedition to Egypt in shipping from May 14, 1798 on the frigate "La Juno." Protected by French troops, he had the opportunity to travel the country in all directions in order to gather the material that was the basis for his artistic work and the most important literary. It supports in particular General Desaix in Upper Egypt, which he refers to numerous sketches, ink wash and other drawings in pen, black chalk, or chalk. He draws constantly, usually on his knee, standing or on horseback, and sometimes even under enemy fire. After a journey of 13 months during which he draws thousands of drawings, Vivant Denon returned to France with Bonaparte, and became the first artist to publish the story of the expedition. The 141 boards that accompany his diary retrace its entire journey from the coast of Corsica to the pharaonic monuments of Upper Egypt. Bonaparte then appointed Director General of the Central Museum of the Republic, which became the Napoleon Museum and the Royal Louvre and arts administrator. In 1805, Vivant Denon revival project of the Vendome column, which had been suspended in 1803 then organizes expeditions across Europe to raise imperial works of art which are plundered to be carried away to the Louvre. In 1814, Louis XVIII confirmed as head of the Louvre, one wing of which still bears his name today. It is considered a great precursor of museology, art history and Egyptology.