The beauty of Vienna

Mollo, Tranquillo. Wien's vorzüglichste Gebäude und Monumente. Les principaux batiments et monuments de Vienne. [And:] Wien's Umgebungen. Les environs de Vienne.

Vienna, Tranquillo Mollo, [ca. 1825-1830].

Engraved and illustrated title-page; 65 plates. [And]: Engraved and illustrated title-page; 64 plates. A total of 131 engravings by Josef Zutz, J. W. Zincke et al. after Sigmund v. Perger, Edward Gurk et al., with text in German and French, image ca. 10 x 14 cm each, all lavishly hand-coloured and with ink-washed borders. Bound in later 19th century black half morocco with gilt spine. Marbled endpapers. Oblong 4to (260 x 187 mm).

 25,000.00

Two of Mollo's most beautiful and most popular series of Viennese views, lavishly hand-coloured within grey wash passe-partout borders in the manner of the de luxe issue, but on normal paper rather than trimmed and mounted on grey cardboard. As typical of the de luxe issue, both works (showing "Vienna's monuments" and "Vienna's environs") here comprise the first 64 numbered plates only of their respective series (instead of 78 in the first and 66 in the second series); however; the final, unnumbered 79th plate of the "monuments" set, showing a view of the city from the "Spinnerin am Kreuz" south of Vienna, is included as a frontispiece.

Exceedingly rare in all states: a single copy of the de luxe issue is recorded at auction since 1975 (the Rudolf von Gutmann copy, sold at Sotheby's in 1993 and again at Christie's in 2006), and only one other copy of both works is listed.

Occasional spotting, browning or foxing to margins as common. Title-pages transposed, with the "environs" series bound following the "monuments" title and frontispiece, and the "monuments" series following the "environs" title. A very charming, well-preserved set of Austrian colour-plate views.

References

Nebehay/Wagner 428/429.

Stock Code: BN#51967 Tags: , , , ,