Dubois Maisonneuve. Introduction à l'étude des vases antiques. 1817-[1834]. folio, green morocco by Selenka

DUBOIS MAISONNEUVE, A.

Introduction à l'étude des vases antiques d'argile peints vulgairement appelés étrusques. Paris: Pierre Didot l'ainé, 1817-[1834]

FIRST EDITION, folio (576 x 425mm.), half-title, 101 engravings on 97 plates (all but 3 with fine hand-colour, 6 double-page or folding), marginal pencil annotations to margins of plates, contemporary green morocco by Philipp Selenka (1803-1850) of Wiesbaden (with his ticket), covers elaborately tooled in gilt and blind, pink endpapers, occasional minor tears, spotting (mostly to text), binding with neat repairs

THE VERY RARE HAND-COLOURED ISSUE IN A FINE MOROCCO BINDING BY SELENKA. "Coloured copies are... especially attractive" (Blackmer). The splendid hand-coloured plates show scenes from Etruscan vases found in the collections of Sir William Hamilton, Pourtales, Tischbein, and others. This work was published in 17 livraisons from 1817 to 1834, and is rarely found complete or coloured.

LITERATURE:

Blackmer 499 (uncoloured); Brunet II, 848 (17 livraisons)

PROVENANCE:

Christie's, Valuable Printed Books and Manuscripts, including Fine Plate books from an Historic Continental Library, 3 June 2009, lot 130, £32,450