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an old book with a black and white image of a bird on top of itdrawing of a man standing on top of a large wooden box
ALDE

145 - CARBURI (Marin). A monument erected to the glory of Peter th…
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Estimate €600 - €800
Sale commission
Description
CARBURI (Marin). A monument erected to the glory of Peter the Great, or an account of the works and mechanical means employed to transport to St Petersburg a boulder weighing three million, intended to serve as the base for the equestrian statue of that emperor. Paris, Nyon aîné & Stoupe, 1777. Folio, blue paper board bound with glue, untrimmed (contemporary binding). First edition of this work, renowned in the history of technology. It is illustrated with 12 fine plates (10 of which are double-page spreads or fold-outs) engraved by R. d’Elvaux and Sellier after drawings by L.-N. van Blarenbergh and Fossier. The engineer Marin Carburi, from Kefalonia, describes in this work how an enormous boulder was transported from one of the islands in the Gulf of Finland to Saint Petersburg; it was to serve as the plinth for the monumental statue of Peter I commissioned by Catherine II from Falconet, known as the Bronze Horseman. This virtually impossible transport operation provided the first opportunity to use ball-bearing rollers (rather than cylindrical ones) for moving very heavy loads. A copy with full margins in contemporary cardboard binding, slightly rubbed and missing the spine. Minimal worm damage to the inside cover and the upper margin of a few plates; a slight brown mark on the last two plates. BAL, no. 551 – Berlin Cat., no. 1794.
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About the sale Fine antique books – A library in the Languedoc
Auction location
Auction time 10/20/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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