Henri de Feynes (1573-1647) - photo 1
Henri de Feynes (1573-1647) - photo 2

Henri de Feynes (1573-1647)

Lot 60
28.04.2021 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 7 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 519351
Lot 60 | Henri de Feynes (1573-1647)
Estimate value
£ 8 000 – 12 000
Henri de Feynes (1573-1647)
Voyage faict par terre depuis Paris jusques a la Chine par le Sr de Feynes gentilhomme de la maison du Roy. Paris: Pierre Rocolet, 1630.
Extremely rare first French edition of Feynes' account of his voyage to China and the East Indies. Henri de Feynes, Comte de Monsart, was the first Frenchman to explore China. Most probably acting under secret orders from king Henri IV to provide vital intelligence to open up French trade with the Far East, he left France in 1606, travelling overland. Feynes called at Venice, Aleppo – where he joined the Baghdad caravan – Isfahan, went down to Hormuz and then onto India. Passing through Goa, he embarked for Malacca, then the Moluccas, Macao and finally disembarked in Canton in 1609. There, his account gives his observations of the porcelain and silk trade, cormorant fishing, and his astonishment at the bandaged feet of high-status women. His descriptions of India and the kingdoms of the far East are of particular interest, and, significantly, he notes the Dutch occupation of many East Indian islands. He marvels at the residence of the great Mogul, who was likely Jahangir, Mogul emperor of India. Feynes' account also contains one of the earliest mentions of coffee, which he calls 'cahayette'. He returned to Europe by sea from Goa to Lisbon via Mozambique. Landing at Lisbon, he was arrested as a spy and thrown in prison, and was not released until 1613. First published in English in 1615, both editions are exceptionally rare; this French edition has only sold once at auction since the Second World war (ABPC/RBH; this copy at the sale of Jean-Paul Morin's collection, Pierre Bergé, 7 March 2012, lot 16. Cordier, Sinica, 2074; Van der Cruysse, Le Noble Désir de courir le monde, 2002, pp. 28-30.

Octavo (181 x 115mm). Engraved decorative title, [8] ff., 212 pp. (small light stain on title, to occasional light spotting, mainly confined to margins, very small nick to lower margin near gutter from gathering K and extending almost to end). Contemporary vellum (lightly soiled and rubbed).
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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14.04.2021 – 28.04.2021
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