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)

Lot 178
14.12.2022 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 60 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 870752
Lot 178 | CHORIS, Louis (1795-1828)
Estimate value
£ 60 000 – 80 000
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).





Special notice


No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.
Place of origin:Western Europe, France, Europe
Auction house category:Printed books
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@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.