Voyage pittoresque en Autriche [volume III: Précis historique de la guerre entre la France et l'Autriche en 1809]

Book Description

Paris: P. Didot l'ainé [volumes I-II] and J. Didot l'ainé [volume III], 1821-1822. 3 volumes, folio. (22 11/16 x 16 1/2 inches). 159 plates, plans and battle-plans on 119 sheets (made up as follows: 142 plans and plates on 102 sheets, by Gros, Piringer, Schwartz and others after Gauermann, Haechle, Jantscha, Laborde, Lieb, Piringer, Schütz and others [comprising: 129 hand-coloured engraved aquatint plates (3 of these double-page), 4 uncoloured plates, 6 tinted plates, 3 uncoloured plans (1 of these double- page)]; 17 engraved maps and battle plans [comprising: 4 double-page uncoloured engraved maps, 13 hand-coloured engraved battle plans (8 double- page, one of these with overslips) and including an additional single-page battle plan titled 'Prise de Landshut' not called for in the list of contents]). In addition there are 2 double-page uncoloured lithographic tables and numerous engraved head- and tailpieces, most hand-coloured, tinted or aquatinted. Expertly bound to style in red straight-grained half morocco over contemporary paper-covered boards, the flat spines divided into five compartments by gilt fillets and roll tools, black morocco lettering-piece in the second compartment. The Signet Library copy of the very rare hand-coloured, large-paper issue on papier vélin of the greatest illustrated work on Austria. An uncut and complete copy of this very rare deluxe issue of Laborde's spectacular work on the picturesque beauties of Austria. Only the Botfield and von Gutmann copies of this issue are recorded by ABPC as having sold at auction since 1975. Laborde gathered material for this work during the nine years he served in the army of Emperor Joseph II, years which Laborde describes in the introduction as "le temps le plus heureux de ma vie" (p.iv). The result is justifiably called by Mayer a "monumental work of topography, valued for its numerous splendid views: the Danube, Viennese vedutas, battles, the environs of Vienna, popular scenes, costumes, the marriage festivities for Maria Louise etc." The quality of the coloured plates is exceptional and stands as an example of French aquatint work of the highest calibre. The collation of the plates in this work is challenging as Laborde is inconsistent in assigning numbers to individual images. The plates in this copy have been collated against the list of contents in each volume and are all present. The work was published in three states: uncoloured, printed on papier demi-jésus, priced at 360 francs; uncoloured with the plates before letters, at 540 francs; and, as here, hand-coloured sets printed on "papier vélin demi-colombier" at 900 francs. It is difficult to establish exactly how many of the deluxe coloured large-paper sets were published, but it would have undoubtedly been few. Quérard notes only that "quelques exemplaires" were published; Bohn's A Catalogue of Books (London: 1841) included a copy (item 1872) and noted that "Only 12 copies are said to have been finished in colours"; whilst Brunet writes that 40 sets were printed. Brunet III, 713 (variant collation); Mayer coll. 271 (the ordinary edition only); Nebehay/Wagner II, 348 & 349; Quérard IV, p.344 (variant collation); UCBA II, 1065; Vicaire IV, 752 (not calling for the double-page "Plan de la Ville & des Faubourgs de Vienne" in volume II); Exotic and the Beautiful 437. Not in Abbey.

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