CHORIS, Louis (1795-1828) - photo 1
CHORIS, Louis (1795-1828) - photo 2
CHORIS, Louis (1795-1828) - photo 3
CHORIS, Louis (1795-1828) - photo 4
CHORIS, Louis (1795-1828) - photo 5

CHORIS, Louis (1795-1828)

Starting price
£ 60 000
Auction dateClassic
14.12.2022 10:30UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 870752
Lot 178 | CHORIS, Louis (1795-1828)
CHORIS, Louis (1795-1828)

Voyage pittoresque autour du monde, avec des portraits de sauvages d'Amérique, d'Asie, d'Afrique, et des iles du Grand Ocean; des paysages, des vues maritimes, et plusieurs objets d'histoire naturelle. Paris: Imprimerie de Firmin Didot, 1822.

First edition of this 'spectacular and early lithographically illustrated travel account that has always been considered one of the most beautiful and important colorplate books of the Northern Pacific' (Forbes). The plates in Voyage pittoresque, 'one of the very valuable and fundamental works on Alaska, California, and the Hawaiian Islands,' are after drawings by Louis Choris, made on Kotzebue’s world voyage of 1815-1818 (Lada-Mocarski). Choris, a German-Russian artist, was appointed the official draughtsman of the expedition when he was only 20 years old. Essentially, this is an album of illustrations; the text records the most memorable episodes of the voyage and full explanations of the plates — more of which relate to California, Hawaii, Kamchatka and Alaska than any other work of the period — and the Philippines, Chile and Easter Island. It is arranged in 8 sections which were first sold in 22 livraisons, 1820-1822 (although both Brunet and Howes state that publication ended in 1823). Two title pages were printed, dated 1820 to accompany the first livraison, and 1822 for the successive parts (this copy has the second). There was only one issue of the text and plates, according to Forbes, and although a lithographic portrait of the artist is found in a few copies, its presence does not constitute an issue point. Indeed, it may have been produced only after the work was completed.



The text was written and edited by J.B. Eyries and the list of subscribers accounts for 188 copies. Choris supervised the execution of the plates himself and reworked several to his liking. The manuscript text of the voyage was never published but his album is 'highly prized for both its beauty and as a historical record' (Hill). Forbes writes that it contains 'a final and very beautiful pictorial examination of the Hawaiian Islands and of Hawaiian culture as it existed prior to the death of Kamehameha I in 1819, and prior to the abolition of the "kapu" or feudal system following the king's death'. Forbes 541; Hill 290; Howes C-397 ('c'); Sabin 12885.



Folio (410 x 253mm). Lithographic portrait frontispiece of Count Rumaniantsev (Romanzoff) and 104 hand-coloured lithographic plates, 2 maps, one of which folding, list of subscribers at end (spotting throughout, light creasing to frontispiece). Contemporary red half morocco over orange cartonnage boards, covers with roll-tooled egg-and-dart border in blind, gilt spine (very minor expert repair at head of spine, extremities lightly rubbed, corners more heavily). Provenance: Frederic de Pourtales (armorial bookplate) — Carl Wendell Carlsmith (booklabel) — Books Inc. (San Francisco bookseller's ticket).





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No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.
Place of origin:Western Europe, France, Europe
Category:Printed book
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
10.12.2022 – 13.12.2022
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
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