Eric Chaim Kline, Bookseller

Antiquités Mexicaines Vol. I & II [Incomplete] (includes "Recherches sur les Antiquitiés de I'Amérique du Nord et de I'Amérique du Sud" by D. B. Warden)

Lenoir, Alexandre; Guillaume Dupaix; David Bailie Warden

Paris: Jules Didot, 1834. Hardcover. Ex-library. Elephant folio. Three-quarter morocco over marbled boards. Top edge gilt. Marbled endpapers. (INCOMPLETE, complete work was published with a total of 166 plates. These two volumes with 55 plates total, incl. frontispiece). Vol. I: Relation des trois expéditions du colonel Dupaix, ordonnées en 1805, 1806 et 1807, pour la recherche les antiquites du pays, notamment celles de Mitla et de Palenque : Accompagnee des Dessins de Castaneda, Membre des Trois Expeditions et Dessinateur du Musee de Mexico : suivie d'un parallèle de ces monuments avec ceux de l'Égypte et de l'Inde par m. Alexandre Lenoir, createur du Musee des Monuments Francais, membre de la Societe Royale des Antiquaires de France, de celles Londres etc. :d'une dissertation sur l'origine et sur la linguistique des populations primitives des deux amériques, d'un historique des diverses antiquités et des fossiles du double continent, par m. Warden, ancien Consul-General des Etats Unis, Correspondant de l'Institut de France, membre de la Societe Royale des Antiquaires de France, et de plusiers autres Societes Savantes: avec un discours par M. Charles Farcy, de la Societe Royale des Antiquaires de France, et de la Societe Libre des Beaux-Arts de Paris; Galindo, de Humboldt et de St. Priest ..." xiv(1)50,56,40,88pp. followed by 9 full-page plates (numbered I - IX) and table of contents (2 pages). Frontispiece. Contents: (1) Antiquites Mexicaines , Premiere Partie , Premier Expedition du Capitaine Dupaix ordonnee par le Roi d'Espagne en 1805 pour la Rercherche des Antiquites du Pays (50pp). (2) Antiquites Mexicaines , Premiere Partie , Deuxieme Expedition du Capitaine Dupaix (56pp) ( 3 ) Antiquites Mexicaines , Premiere Partie , Troisieme Expedition du Capitaine Dupaix en 1807 (40pp) ( 4 ) Antiquites Mexicaines , Premiere Partie. Notes et Documents Hivers. (88pp). Age wear and abrasions on binding. Two-inches of backstrip on head of spine missing, same area along front- and back board split but firmly holding. Tail of spine chipped. Library pocket on inside of front board, slight abrasion on free front endpaper. Two library inventory plates near tail of spine. Binding in fair, interior in very good condition. Vol. II: Antiquités Mexicaines (includes "Recherches sur les Antiquitiès de I'Amèrique du Nord et de I'Amèrique du Sud" by D. B. Warden) Vol. II (Du Tome Second). Ex-library. Text volume with parts of atlas (incomplete). 70 leaves with 35 plates and text pages numbered 73 through 82, followed by a 224 page essay. Essay section illustrated with 10 plates (numbered I to X). Incomplete (text and plates) first part of Du Tome Second, starting with plate XII through XLVI. Antiquitiès Mexicaines, Deuxième Partie: 224 page essay "Recherches sur les Antiquitiès de I'Amèrique du Nord et de I'Amèrique du Sud" by David Bailie Warden, as issued. Printed by Engelman and Thierry Frères. Total plates count in this volume is 45, printed on 40 leafs (includes some plans). Title-page on essay only. Front and back cover detached but present. Heavy age wear and abrasions on binding. Three quarter of bottom spine missing, remains of spine heavily torn & loose from book block. Title on spine in gold lettering still readable. Parts of leather near spine on front and back board crudely repaired with white tape. Library card pocket pasted on inside of front board. Sporadic foxing throughout, waterstaining to bottom edge of some pages. Printed library pagination on upper margins of plates pages. Binding in poor, interior in overall very good condition. Text in French. Scarce. fair. Item #18247

By order of Carlos IV., King of Spain, in 1805 Captain Guillermo Dupaix led 3 expeditions to explore the antiquities of southern Mexico. The results were captured in this publication which gave Europeans a first, detailed look at Mayan civilization. The plates (most lithographed in b/w, some tinted) are after original drawings by Josè Luciano Castaneda, who accompanied Dupaix on the expedition. All plates are full-page, except one which is double-page. The drawings were held in Mexican archives to be sent to Spain but got lost in the chaos of the Mexican revolution. After resurfacing the drawings were lithographed by artists such as H. Vanderbur[s]ch, M. Delaporte, H. Robillard, C. Will de Willbery and L. Vitasse.

Price: $5,500.00