[Islamic architecture - Spain - Andalusia]. - Lot 98

[Islamic architecture - Spain - Andalusia]. GIRAULT DE PRANGEY, Joseph-Philibert. Arab and Moorish monuments of Cordoba, Seville and Granada, drawn and measured in 1832 and 1833. Paris, Veith & Hauser, (1836-1839). 3 volumes in one folio (44.7 x 39 cm). Contemporary fawn half-maroquin with corners, smooth spine, gilt title (binding restored, slight foxing). Superb set, complete with Prangey's views of Moorish Spain. First edition. The plates display vast panoramic views or finely executed architectural details, shot in beautiful shades of black and gray. Mosque of Cordoba. General views of the interior, details and plans. False title, title, 8 lithographed plates, each under serpente, 1 f. of text, in volume I. The Giralda and Alcázar of Seville. Title, 6 lithographed plates, each under serpents, 2 ff. text (including explanation of plates 1-8 of vol. 1), in vol. II. Memories of Granada and the Alhambra. Title, 5 ff. text, table of plates and 30 lithographed plates, each under serpents, in volume III. A total of 44 large lithographs. (Sweetmann, 1997). Girault de Prangey (1804-1892) studied art in his native Langres, then at the Beaux-Arts in Paris. He was one of the first traveling artists to experiment with the daguerreotype. After a stay in Italy, where his inclination for architectural subjects and drawing was confirmed, he visited Spain in 1832, immersing himself in Moorish art and the architecture of Cordoba, Seville and Granada. He exhibited views of the Alhambra and Tunis at the Paris Salon, and also undertook trips to Greece, Asia Minor, Palestine and Syria. Apart from Murphy's collection, Girault de Prangey's Arab and Moorish Monuments of Cordoba, Seville and Granada is the first comprehensive work devoted to Andalusian architecture. The lithographs were produced by Bichebois, Chapuis, Danjoy, Hubert, Monthelier, Sabatier and Villeneuve. Creswell, 332 and 356. Graesse, III 89. Palau, VI, 102629.