DESCRIPTION DE L'EGYPTE. Minéralogie. Syène et les cataractes. Variétés du granit oriental ou syénit des anciens, Diverses roches primitives. (Histoire Naturelle, planche 1)

Original etching in plano, gouache hand at the time, untrimmed, extracted from the'' Imperial Edition 'of the Description of Egypt or Collection of Observations and research done in Egypt during the French expedition, published by orders of His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon the Great. Conducted between 1802 and 1830 and published between 1809 and 1828, she was taken in 1000 copies available to institutions. Laid the watermark visible by transparency ancient and modern Egypt paper. Light foxing and marginal reached without engraving, otherwise excellent freshness and preservation. Board belonging to the Mineralogy section, the study was conducted by François-Michel Rozière (1775-1842), French chemist who took part in the Egyptian campaign, and collected on this occasion many observations on minerals. The monumental first edition of the Description of Egypt in 13 volumes contained 892 colored plates of which 72, including 9 volumes involved antiquity. Other volumes dealt with the Natural History and modern Egypt as Napoleon Bonaparte had brought with him a commission of scholars from all disciplines so that it was said, in his description was stored the richest museum of universe. This book was written in part by Baron Dominique Vivant Denon, before he is appointed Managing Director of the Louvre Museum Napoleon. More than 80 artists and 400 writers were hired for this huge project. The unusually large size boards necessitated the creation of a special press and a specific piece of furniture to keep them ...!