La Mottraye, Aubry de. Voyages en Europe, Asie & Afrique.

€ 4,500.00

First edition in French. "This important work describes La Mottraye’s travels over a 26-year period which took him through Northern Europe to Tartary and the Levant. The plates are of particular interest and include many signed by Hogarth which form part of his early work. They illustrate antiquities, objets d’art, and scenes of the eastern life. Especially interesting is a plate showing a dance at a Greek wedding, with each member of the party dressed in a different costume" (Blackmer). Chapter XII of vol. 1 discusses the Quran, and the Appendix contains extracts from a manuscript on the Muslim faith as well as a section on the Islamic calendar. "Aubry de la Mottraye, a Huguenot, travelled extensively throughout Europe, Asia and Africa during the years 1696 to 1729, beginning in Scandinavia, where he became a confidant of Charles XII. He then went on to Tartary and the Levant. The work contains several notable costume plates, particularly relating to the Levant, some of which may have been inspired by Ferriol and Le Hay's 'Recueil de cent estamped représentant différentes nations du Levant' (1714)" (Atabey).

Occasional edge defects, repaired. Slight brownstaining. Formerly in the Ottoman collection of the Swiss industrialist Herry W. Schaefer.