Abraham à Sancta Clara [i. e. Ulrich Megerle]. Neu-eröffnete Welt-Galleria, worinnen sehr curios und begnügt unter die Augen kommen allerley Aufzüg und Kleidungen unterschiedlicher Stände und Nationen [...].

Nuremberg, no publisher, (1703).

Folio (266 x 367 mm). (4) pp. With 98 (instead of 100) engraved plates (one of which in original hand colour). Later full vellum, bound to style, with handwritten spine title.

 2,000.00

First edition; rare.

While "only the dedication [...] was written by Abraham" (Dünnhaupt), this famous work represents a wide spectrum of traditional costumes "beginning with the portraits of the Pope and the imperial family" (Dünnhaupt), showing "the highest officials, and cuts of all sorts of people seen in Vienna. The cuts, prepared by Caspar Luyken for the Weigel firm, represent a veritable compendium of Viennese culture about the year 1700" (Faber du Faur). The background of the portrait of Emperor Leopold I was coloured. In addition, the illustrations exhibit traditional costumes of people from all over the world, including the Doge of Venice, Sultan Mustafa II and a number of Turkish types, a Spanish officer, East and West Indian Kings, Russians, American Indians and Ethiopians. The plates "carry the inscriptions 'Cas. Luyken fe' or his monogram 'CL fecit' as well as 'Christoph Weigel exc. Noremb' at the bottom" (Colas).

Somewhat brownstained throughout, otherwise very well preserved. From the library of the Viennese collector Werner Habel, with his signed and stamped ownership, dated 1978, to the flyleaf.

References

Bertsche 42, 2. Dünnhaupt I, p. 122, 39. Lipperheide Ac 1. Colas II, 2189. Hiler 3. Graesse I, 6 ("Très rare"). Faber du Faur I, 1123. Heyse 892. Gesamtkat. I, 4310. NUC II, 80. Bauer/Weigel, 20.1. Goedeke III, 240, 23. Klaversma/Hannema 21. Hollstein 381. Cf. Brunet V, 1429 (ed. 1708).