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a drawing of a group of egyptian vasesa black and white drawing of a vase with egyptian writing on itfour vases with different designs on them on a tablean old drawing of a woman sitting in a fountain with a man standing next to heran old picture of a drawing of a building with a clock on itan old black and white drawing of a man and a woman standing in front of a buildinga black and white drawing of a man standing in front of a statuean old book with a drawing of a building and a drawing of a man standing in front of itan old drawing of a building on a rocky cliff with a bird flying over it
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87 - [ARCHAEOLOGY. ENGRAVING]
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Estimate €500 - €600
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Description
[ARCHAEOLOGY. ENGRAVING] A set of 9 copperplate engravings depicting Egyptian antiquities. A charming set of 9 18th-century copperplate engravings, produced by Friderik Ludvig Norden (1707–1742), a Danish explorer, and Bernard de Montfaucon (1655–1741), a monk and antiquarian. Of exceptional quality, they mainly depict monumental Egyptian architecture and archaeological remains.    Friderik Ludvig Norden (1707–1742) was a Danish explorer sent by King Christian VI on a mission to Egypt during the 1730s as part of a discovery expedition. During this journey, he produced hundreds of drawings depicting mainly Egyptian monumental architecture, which appear in the work *Travels in Egypt and Nubia*, published between 1741 and 1757.    -1/ Fig. 1. The interior of a cave at Tschibel Esfelsele / Fig. 2. Epitaphs of those who were imprisoned in this cave, (47 × 27.9 cm), copperplate engraving. The plate is more roughly cut on the right-hand side, encroaching slightly on the basin; the paper is uniformly browned; it is mounted with adhesive tape on the front, 1 cm from the top, with traces of glue from the mounting.    -2/ View of the rock-cut chapels near the ‘Pierre de la Chaîne’ at Tschibel Esfelsele a. The so-called ‘Pierre de la Chaîne’. b. Granite block, with an inscription in hieroglyphs. c. Chapels covered in hieroglyphs. d. Granite boulders, Plate CXXIII, (28 x 47 cm), copperplate engraving, *Travels in Egypt and Nubia* (1741–1757). Plate uniformly browned; clumsy cut-outs at the bottom and on the right-hand side, slightly encroaching on the basin; mounted with 0.6 mm adhesive tape on the front at the top.    -3/ Fig. 1. The two colossi. b in particular. / Fig. 2. View of the main portrait from the Antiquities of Luxor. a. Obelisks. b. Colossi. c. Portraits. d. Part of a portico. e. Grand colonnade. Plate CVI, (47 × 28 cm), copperplate engraving, *Travels in Egypt and Nubia* (1741–1757). Clumsy cut-outs on the left and right-hand sides, a small crease on the lower left-hand side, the sheet is uniformly browned and shows slight soiling; mounted with adhesive tape on the front, 0.8 cm at the top.    -4/ Detailed drawing of remarkable hieroglyphs, engraved on the bases of the colossal statues near Luxor and Carnac. a. Nine Greek and Latin inscriptions, taken from the legs of the said colossi and which were formerly engraved there to bear witness that one had heard the voice of Memnon. (27.7 x 47 cm), Plate CXI, copperplate engraving, *Travels in Egypt and Nubia* (1741–1757), mounted with adhesive tape on the front, 0.7 cm at the top; paper uniformly browned, slight soiling.    Bernard de Montfaucon (1655–1741) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar. Having received a thorough education in Oriental languages and dialects, he published a work in 1719 that established his reputation: Antiquity Explained and Represented in Figures. This work contains over 1,000 plates, making it a unique collection of images for an era that marked the beginnings of what would later be called ‘Egyptomania’.      -5/ Canopes, Mr de Peiresc, (38.5 x 24 cm), Plate 133 (Volume II), copperplate engraving, brown stains not affecting the illustration, 0.5 cm adhesive tape repair on the front at the top.    -6/ Canopic jars, Plate 132, copperplate engraving, (39 × 23.9 cm), brown stains not affecting the illustration; mounted with adhesive tape on the front, 0.5 cm at the top.    -7/ Labrum, Plate 123, (39.5 x 24.2 cm), copperplate engraving, foxing, mounted with adhesive tape on the front, with clumsy cut-outs at the sides.    -8/ Isis, Plate 112, copperplate engraving, (39 × 24.2 cm), foxing that does not affect the illustration, mounted with adhesive tape on the front over a 0.7 cm strip, very slightly clumsy cut on the left-hand side.    -9/ Temples of the Egyptians. Plan of the Temple of Armans, (39.2 x 24.2 cm), Plate 51, copperplate engraving, foxing, slightly uneven cut on the left, mounted with adhesive tape on the front at the top over a length of 0.5 cm. Provenance: Christian Levett Collection, Mougins Museum of Classical Art.
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About the sale Books, Manuscripts & Antique Engravings, including the José Luis Dotti Library
Auction location
Auction time 09/23/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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