Lot 06204

“Les ruines des plus beaux monuments de la Grace, ouvrage divise en deux parties”, Paris-Amsterdam, 1758. FIRST edition. Imperial Folio, (57x44cm), pp. XIV, 56p., [1],VI,28. 2 parts in one volume. Complete with the 60 finely copper engraved Folio plates. All plates drawn by Le Roy and 24 engraved by Le Bas, 4 maps engraved by Montigny and 32 plates engraved by Patte and Neufforge. Full contemporary leather binding, lightly rubbed. Light spotting mainly on margins. A very good and clean set of one of the most influential works about Greece of the middle of 18^th century, which introduced Greece in contemporary European circles and promoted philhellenism and the adoption of Greek style in architecture. Le Roy visited Greece in 1754, and managed to publish his work before the publication of Stuart’s “Antiquities of Athens” (appeared in 1762). He also included part of his own travel report as an accompaniment to the published fine plates. According to Cochin (Mémoires Inédits, Paris, 1880), Compte Caylus had to give Le Roy’s original drawings to the painter Lorrain to redesign them accordingly, before giving them to the engraver Le Bas. This publication caused a serious debate between Stuart and the English about the accuracy of French measurements. But the metric accuracy was not Le Roy’s main goal. He wanted, according to the modern French trend, to introduce the soul and the beauty of the ruined monuments. And it was a great success. His fine view of the ruined Athens is still found as a main reference. Atabey 709, Blackmer 1009, Brunet III,1003. A reference work for Greece.