Voyage en France, en Italie et aux Isles de l'Archipel, ou Lettres écrites de plusieurs endroits de l'Europe et du Levant en 1750, &c. Avec des observations de l'Auteur sur les diverses productions de la Nature & de l'Art. Ouvrage traduit de l'Anglois [par P.F. de Puiseux]

First edition of the French translation (cf. Blackmer 1752. Not in Weber or Atabey. See Barbier IV, 1083.)

Contemporary full marbled tan calf bindings, smooth spines gilt tooled in compartments with floral motifs, red morocco lettering-pieces, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets to board edges.

Some restorations to a few joints and spines, minor scattered foxing.

Volume IV is entirely devoted to the author’s stay in the Greek islands: Crete, Candia, Damaste, Retimo, Mount Ida, Gortyn, the labyrinth of Crete, Milo, Syphante, Seriphos, Antiparos, Paros, Naxia, Stenofa, Amorgos, Skinosa, Delos, Rhenia, Syra, Cynthos, Zia, Macrounisa, Jura, Tenos, Scio, Tenedos, Samos, Pathmos, Skiros, etc.

"First French Édition, translated by P.F. de Puiseux from the English Édition of 1753 (…) which was published anonymously. The author is unknown. It has been attributed to Maihows, and the attribution comes from a later French Édition, Paris Artistique et Monumental en 1750 edited by H. Bonnardot, 1881, which consists of extracts from the French Édition of 1763. Both Brunet and Barbier give Maihows' name as the author of the French version, but the source of the attribution seems to be Querard (…) De Puiseux himself gives no indication of the author's name and simply reproduces the English editor's preface, which states that the author, a rich man with a passion from travelling, was accompanied by a scientist \"M-S\", who furnished many of the observations on natural history. This may be a pointer to Maihows, but we have been unable to find any trace of this name (or close variation) in any of the standard British biographies, obituaries, contemporary newspapers and periodical indexes, etc." [Leonora Navari].

This work is of considerable interest for the history of cabinets of curiosities and private collections in the eighteenth century.

"This travel account (…) devotes substantial attention to curiosities in the artistic sphere: visits to the Treasury of Saint-Denis, the Jesuits’ library in the rue Saint-Antoine, that of the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Versailles, Meudon, Saint-Cloud, Marly, Saint-Germain, but also the private hôtels of Parisian nobles. Dr Maihows does not neglect either to describe a rare insect, a fish, a plant, the Vallisneria (named after the celebrated Paduan naturalist, owner of a remarkable \"museum\", cf. K. Pomian, pp. 122-124).

After the \"curiosities\" of Aix or Avignon, the author proceeds to Italy and visits Moscardo’s cabinet in Verona, before turning to revived ancient monuments such as the obelisks (the transport before Saint Peter’s of the obelisk from Nero’s circus by order of Pope Sixtus V, etc.). Naples and Herculaneum command his attention before his lengthy account (four letters) devoted to the cabinet of Aldrovandi (minerals, plants, shells, animals, etc.).

The Voyage concludes in Greece and the Greek islands, rich in ruins but also in rare insects." Cf. Librairie Paul Jammes, Cabinets de curiosités, collections, collectionneurs (cat.), no. 219.