L'Art Hindou. Voyage aux Indes Orientales

Book Description

Paris: Typographie Chr. Krüsi, 1885. Small folio. (15 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches). [4], [1, verso blank], 47 pp. French text in two columns. 31 albumen photographs on captioned mounts (one signed in the image by Samuel Bourne, another by Robert Phillips, the others unsigned). (Scattered foxing to the text, repaired tear to one text leaf). Publisher's red pebbled cloth, front cover decoratively tooled with a gilt and black border and titled in gilt, rear cover with a decoratively tooled black border, spine stamped in gilt and black, silk moire endpapers, g.e. (Minor wear to backstrip, spine lightly faded). Rare photographically- illustrated book on Buddhist temples in India. Mostly focussing on the southern portion of the continent (although including a few images of northern and western regions) this scarce book includes mounted albumen photographs illustrating the following: Mahavelipore (2) [Mahishasuramarthini cave temple at Mahabalipuram]; Tope de sarnath; Mont Aboo (2) [interior views of one of the Dilwara Temples on Mount Abu]; Madura (6) [Madurai, including the Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple, Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal, the Koodal Azhagar Temple, and others]; Trischnapoly [Rockfort Temple at Tiruchirappalli]; Tanjaor (4) [Brihadishwara Temple and the Shrine of Sri Subramanya at Thanjavur]; Chillambram (3) [Chidambaram Temple]; Seringam (5) [Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam]; Pondichery (3) [Puducherry, two city views plus an image of the statue of Dupleix]; Madras (2) [city views of Chennai]; Colonne de Delhi [Qutab Minar in Delhi]; and an image titled "Ceremonie Religieuse Boudhiste" depicting 8 monks seated on the ground, two playing dung chen. The author of the book served as a French diplomat in China and Southeast Asia, including time as the French Consul at Mandalay. The two signed images, by Samuel Bourne and Robert Phillips, are by well-known commercial photographers working on the continent. Although there is no limitation given, most photographically illustrated books from this time period were produced in small numbers due to the high cost of production. This is further supported by the book's rarity, with no copies listed in OCLC or in the auction records. Not in Truthful Lens.

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