[Russia - Iran]. - Lot 234

[Russia - Iran]. LE BRUN (Corneille), known as BRUYN. Voyages de Corneille Le Brun par la Moscovie, en Perse, et aux Indes orientales. ... Avec les Antiquitez de ces Païs... Amsterdam, Wetstein Brothers, 1718. 2 volumes large in-4 (33 x 21 cm) of [8] (including false-title, title, dedication and preface), 252 pp. ; [2], 253-469 pp. Contemporary tan calf, 5-ribbed spine richly decorated, red morocco title-piece, red edges (restoration to spine of frontispiece, numerous figures captioned in ink, small tear pp. 217, small marginal paper loss with small loss of text restored pp. 359, a few old annotations in ink in the text). Illustrations include a frontispiece, a portrait of the author, 3 double-page maps, 260 numbered black etchings in 115 full-page, double and/or folding plates, 14 unnumbered etchings in 6 leaves and 44 figures in the text. Titles printed in red and black. First French edition. This work, impressive for the quantity and quality of its intaglio engravings, is the fruit of a voyage undertaken by the Dutch traveler, writer, painter and engraver Corneille Le Brun (Cornelis de Bruijn or de Bruyn, 1652-1727) between 1701 and 1707 to Russia, Persia, India and Java. Le Brun devoted himself to describing the peoples, fauna, flora, architecture... The magnificent plates depicting landscapes (Mont Goro Soponofski, Zaritsa...), towns (Tobolska, Nerzinskoi capital of Daurie...), populations (Russian lady, black slave, Persian man, runner, King's porter, Balian slave...) or personalities (Roy Hossen...), natural history plates (unknown kandeke fruit, baple-kamini fruit, strange flower, singular fish...), ancient ruins (remains of an ancient fortress, tombs of kings, ruins of Persepolis....), scenes (the Author's audience with the King, ...). His fold-out views of major cities can reach almost two meters in height, like the impressive fold-out panoramas of Isfahan and Moscow included in volume 1. ASIA MINOR. FAR EAST.