Le Pélerin, ou Souvenirs de Rome

Paris: Camille Bonnard, 1829. The Pilgrim, or Memories of Rome
Illustrated with Thirty Fine Hand Colored Copper Engraved Plates

BONNARD, Camille. Le Pélerin, ou Souvenirs de Rome. Tome Premier [all published]. Paris: Camille Bonnard, 1829.

First and only edition. Octavo (8 x 5 inches; 203 x127 mm.). [1-5], 6-155, [1, blank] pp. Illustrated with thirty hand colored copper engraved plates by Camille Bonnard.

Bound ca. 1829 in full red calf, covers with decorative blind-stamped borders and a large central lozenge within a decorative gilt border. Spine with four raised bands decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments, gilt decorated board edges and turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. With the small rectangular label of Milan booksellers, Il Polifoli. Occasional foxing only affecting text leaves, portion of blank margin of pp. 111/112 torn away not affecting text.

The thirty fine plates show several places of interest including Pont Molle; Cité Léonine; Le Forum; Porte du Peuple; Temple d'Antonin le Pieux; Colonne Antonin; Place d Espagne; Villa Medicis; Trinité des Monts; Couvent de Ste. Agnès; Mont Sacré; Place St. Pierre; Basilique de St. Pierre; Porte Cavallegieri [&] St. Onuphre. There are also several plates showing costumes and fetes etc.

Camille Bonnard (Toulouse, 1794-1870) spent about ten years in Rome and Florence, dedicating himself to painting. He left Italy for Paris in 1828 and published these "memories." The work likely saw limited success, as only this first volume was ever issued. Published at the author's expense and almost certainly in a very small print run, it remains rare. The Bibliothèque nationale de France acquired its copy only in 1974.

Rare: OCLC/KVK locate just one copy: Bibliotheque Nationale de France.