Blouet and Bory de Saint-Vincent. Expédition scientifique de Morée. 1831-40, complete work in 9 volumes, uniform calf

BLOUET, GUILLAUME ABEL, AND OTHERS

Expédition scientifique de Morée, ordonnée par le gouvernement français. Architecture, sculptures, inscriptions et vues du Péloponèse, des Cyclades et de l'Attique. Paris: Firmin Didot frères, 1831-1838

FIRST EDITION, 3 volumes, large folio (558 x 395mm.), 3 half-titles, 3 engraved additional titles, and 262 plates, 5 coloured by hand, 6 double-page or folding, many showing two or more subjects

Bory de Saint-Vincent, Jean-Baptiste, and others.

Expédition scientifique de Morée. Section des sciences physiques. Paris and Strasbourg: F.G. Levrault, 1832-1836

FIRST EDITION, 3 text volumes bound in 5 and atlas, together 6 volumes, text 4to (338 x 250mm.), atlas folio (522 x 340mm.), half-titles, engraved medallions on general titles, illustrations in the text, atlas with lithographed portrait of Bory de Saint-Vincent and 151 plates and maps, some double-page or folding (6 maps combine to make a wall-map of the Morea, and 5 plates combine to make a panorama of the Gulf of Nauplia and Argos), 62 coloured by hand

Together 9 volumes, uniform half calf gilt, some light internal spotting, bindings rubbed

A COMPLETE ACCOUNT OF THE MOREA SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION commenced in March 1829. It was organised into three sections: architecture, archaeology and natural sciences. Blouet and his colleagues were the first archaeologists to identify the ruin of the temple at Olympia as the famous temple of Jupiter described by Pausanias" (BAL RIBA). Bory de Saint-Vincent oversaw the study of the natural sciences of the region. The first volume of his work comprises the Relation, which provides an overall account of the expedition, the second covers geography, geology and mineralogy and the third volume, zoology and botany. The atlas volume maps, topographical views (including a folding panorama), geological, zoological and botanical plates.

LITERATURE:

Blackmer 153, 169; Nissen BBI 213; Nissen ZBI 4628; Stafleu TL2 672

PROVENANCE:

Counts of Schönborn-Buchheim, bookplate