Le Bruyn, Cornelis

FIRST EDITION IN FRENCH, 2 volumes, folio (400 x 255mm.), half-title, engraved frontispiece, printed title in red and black, dedication leaf with engraved headpiece, engraved portrait of Le Bruyn, 3 double-page engraved maps, 115 engraved plates including double-page plates and folding panoramas, engraved illustrations in the text, CONTEMPORARY DARK BLUE MOROCCO RICHLY GILT, spines in compartments with raised bands gilt, gilt edges, occasional spotting, bindings expertly rebacked to style, rubbed

Noel Hill, 1st Baron Berwick (1745–1789); John Rushout, 2nd Baron Northwick (1769-1859), collector art connoisseur and a patron of David Roberts; (armorial bookplates)

Contominas 101; Wilson p.33

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 1701 Le Bruyn left the Netherlands on his second journey, travelling first to Archangel, then on to Moscow, where he stayed a year, and then to Persia. After a year at Isfahan, he spent three months at Persepolis recording the ruins of the Achaemenid palace, the reliefs and cuneiform inscriptions. In 1705 he went on to the Dutch Indies, before returning to The Hague in 1708. His account of this second journey was first published in 1711, Reizen over Moskovie, door Persie en Indie. In 1714 he published a short work, Aenmerkingen over de Printverbeeldingen van de Overblijfzelen van het Oude Persepolis, in which he defended himself against criticism of his engravings of Persepolis in particular.