L'ambassade de la Compagnie Orientale des Provinces Unies vers l'Empereur de la Chine, ou Grand Cam de Tartarie (The Embassy of the East India Company of the United Provinces to the Emperor of China, or Great Khan of Tartary)
Leiden: J. van Meurs, 1665. First edition. Hardcover. Folio. [6] [10] 290, [1] 134 [1]pp., 35 plates, including engraved half-title and frontispiece. Bound in three-quarter brown leather over brown, textured paper-covered boards. Half-title engraving. Frontispiece engraving. Missing China folding map. The title page printed in red and black with framed engraved vignette. Historiated and decorative initials, head- and endpieces. All but one folding plate engraving, Ceremonies du Marriage, are double-paged and bound in butterfly style. In addition, the volume is profusely illustrated with 110 in-text engravings (4 1/4 x 6 1/8"), placed at the top of pages. Part II is an illustrated general description of the Chinese Empire.
Account of the first Dutch embassy from 1655-1657 by Messrs. Pierre de Goyer and Jacob de Keyser. It is illustrated with a highly accurate description of China and enriched with outstanding copperplate engravings. Compiled by Jean Nieuhoff, steward of the embassy, translated into French, embellished, and supplemented with a wealth of fascinating details by Jean le Carpentier, historiographer. The goal was to establish a trade agreement on behalf of the Dutch East India Company, providing a very accurate description of the cities, towns, villages, seaports and other notable places in China.
Text in French. Binding with some wear along edges, more pronounced at tail of spine and along half of bottom edge of front cover. Very lightly starting at half-title engraving. Few minor notations in margins. Plate bound in between pp 98/99 with 4 1/4 x 1 3/4 chip at lower foredge, not affecting image. Block very lightly age-toned. Binding in fair+ condition. Very good condition. Item #55379
Price: $2,750.00