Forbin, Louis N. P. A. de, comte

Voyage dans le Levant, en 1817 et 1818 [with Atlas]. Paris: Imprimerie Royale, 1819



3 volumes, including two copies of text in 8vo (7 3/4 x 4 7/8 in.; 196 x 125 mm), 1 volume atlas in folio (26 7/8 x 20 1/2 in.; 684 x 520 mm). Half-title in text volumes, folding-plan of St. Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 80 plates in atlas volume including 2 plans, 70 hand-colored lithographs by Baltard, Bourgeois, Fragonard, Lecomte, Vernet and others after Forbin, Vernet, Isabey and Fragonard, and 8 hand-colored aquatints by Debucourt; some marginal soiling and spotting, blank lower outer corner of one plate torn. The inscribed text volume uncut in original wrapper; worn, edges frayed. The other text volume in 19th-century quarter sheep with vellum corners and marbled boards, spine gilt; extremities rubbed. Atlas volume in contemporary red straight-grain morocco, double-fillet border with a roll-tool of alternating angel and caduceus with the occasional eagle, central frame of gilt-tooled flowers, a central medallion with three lily stamps framed by stylized leaves, dentelles, edges gilt; rebacked with original spine laid down, edges rubbed, corners mended.

Jean Baptiste, Marquis de Montgrand (1776-1847, inscribed to him on half-title, by the author?)

Atabey 447 note, Blackmer 614; Colas 1089

Half-title in text volume, folding-plan of St. Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 80 plates in atlas volume including 2 plans, and 70 hand-colored lithographs by Baltard, Bourgeois, Fragonard, Lecomte, Vernet and others after Forbin, Vernet, Isabey and Fragonard, and 8 hand-colored aquatints by Debucourt; some marginal soiling and spotting, blank lower outer corner of one plate torn. Text volume in 19th-century quarter sheep with vellum corners and marbled boards, spine gilt; extremities rubbed. Atlas volume in contemporary red straight-grain morocco, double-fillet border with a roll-tool of alternating angel and caduceus with the occasional eagle, central frame of gilt-tooled flowers, a central medallion with three lily stamps framed by stylized leaves, dentelles, edges gilt; rebacked with original spine laid down, edges rubbed, corners mended.
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First edition, limited to 325 copies, text volume inscribed by the author: "offert par l'auteur à Monsieur le Marquis de Montgrand." "Forbin's was one of the first important French books to use lithography on a grand scale and the standard of production is equal to that of Napoléon's Description de l'Egypte or Denon's Voyage" (Blackmer).

Forbin succeeded Denon as director of museums in 1816. The following year, he travelled to the Levant in order to purchase antiquities in a party including the artist Prevost. His journey took him to Melos, Athens, Constantinople, Smyrna, Ephesus, Acre, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Cairo, Luxor and Thebes.