DESCRIPTION DE L'EGYPTE. Thèbes. Bybân el Molouk. Tableau peint à l'entrée du cinquième tombeau des rois à l'ouest, Autres peintures des tombeaux. (ANTIQUITES, volume II, planche 83)

Original etching in plano, partially gouache hand at the time, untrimmed, extracted from the 'Imperial Edition' of the Description of Egypt or Series observations and research made in Egypt during the French expedition, published by the 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. And light marginal foxing with light attack engraving, otherwise excellent freshness and preservation. The monumental first edition of the Description of Egypt in 13 volumes contained 892 colored plates of which 72, including 9 volumes involved antiquity. The 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, they said, in his description was stored the richest museum of universe. The work was written in part by Baron Dominique Vivant Denon, before he became DG of Napoleon in the Louvre Museum. More than 80 artists and 400 writers were hired for this huge project. The dimensions of the exceptionally large boards necessitated the creation of a special press and a specific piece of furniture to keep them ...!