[Smith, Francis]

FIRST ITALIAN EDITION, folio (508 x 382mm.), letterpress list of plates ("Traduzione Italiana della spiegazione Inglese"), 28 finely engraved plates with captions in English, 4 double-page, including a plan of Constantinople and the Black Sea, many after Le Hay, EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED with a double-page view of Constantinople by John Rocque (1750), twentieth-century calf-backed cloth boards, uncut, without title (see footnote; not issued?), light spotting, short tears along folds of double-page plates occasionally into image, marginal waterstain and wormholes, spine broken

Atabey 1147; Blackmer 1557

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."

RARE. Smith produced a series of drawings for Lord Baltimore, whom he accompanied on his tour of the East. Baltimore died at Naples in 1771 where plates from these drawings were apparently acquired by Carlo Nolli, engraver to the King of the Two Sicilies, who published them under the title given above. It is not clear whether a title-page was ever issued to the work. The plates depict costume of the Ottoman court and empire.