[ART] Annales du Musée *first art magazine* Vols 1-16 + complimentary 1800-09

Description: Landon, Charles ANNALES DU MUSÉE DE L'ÉCOLE DES BEAUX ARTS MODERN Complete consecutive set of Volumes 1 – 16 (1800 – 1808) plus first Complimentary volume (1809), 17 in total. Each volume in this series has (nominally) 72 engraved plates, although fold-out plates are counted as two or even three plate numbers. Bookplate of Cuthbert Heath (1859-1939) the noted Lloyd's underwriter and pioneer of the modern insurance industry. Uniformly bound with quarter-leather covers, boards are covered with pressed leather composite material which has been variably eaten away by bugs. Spines are partitioned with decorative stamps, volume labels have fallen of. Textblocks are gilded at top. Page edges otherwise left untrimmed as bound. Generally poor to fair externally with extensive insect damage on covers; internally averaging good condition, all complete with all plates present. The Annales Du Musée was the first 'art magazine' produced by Charles Landon (1760 – 1826), and several engravers, notably Charles Normand (1765 – 1840); the stated purpose was to showcase the painting, scultures, and architecture of contemporary French artists along with those of previous centuries. These were printed annually from 1800 through 1835, eventually comprising 33 volumes including supplements or complimentary volumes. These appear to be first printings for each volume, although Vol 6 (1804) appears to be out of sequence with a later publication date than Vol 7 (1803), which might be due to production delays. The present set is complete with 17 volumes up to 1809. Many old masters (eg: Raphael, Caravaggio, Poussin, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Veronese) works are featured, along with early 19th Century notables such as Gros, David, Gérard, and many long-forgotten academic artists of the day. The illustrations are beautifully executed while containing some inaccuracies (copied with perspectival distortion, some aesthetic liberties with facial drawings, etc), while the writing has been long criticized for containing many biographical mistakes and critical deficiencies by serious art historians since first issued. These catered to a popular audience of art lovers in the early 19th Century. Vol 1 (1800) Firm binding despite external insect damage on back hinge, extensive material loss on cover, interior pages generally clean with light toning, solid copy. Vol 2 (1802) Firm binding with fewer insect holes externally, loss to cover material; moderate toning to pages, solid copy. Vol 3 (1802) Firm binding,external hinges strong, extensive material loss on covers with corners worn, internally light toning with few spots, good copy. Vol 4 (1803) Rear cover detached but present, material loss more extensive on front cover, front hinge good, otherwise internally clean with solid spine and firm binding. Vol 5 (1803) Firm binding with extensive loss on cover, single significant wormhole through front cover extending 2/3 through textblock, pages otherwise clean with little toning. Vol 6 (1804) Firm binding with less loss on cover, pages overall nice and clean. Later publication date likely indicating production delay. Vol 7 (1803) Back hinge half cracked from top, loosening. Material loss to cover, internally spotty with staining, fair copy. Vol 8 (1805) Firm binding with crack by front of spine crown, less material loss on cover, moderate internal spots but mostly clean pages. Vol 9 (1805) Front cover detached but present, front of spine starting to delaminate at crown and heel. Material loss on covers, moderate internal toning. Textblock is intact and complete. Vol 10 (1805) Solid binding with strong external hinges, front cover with minimal losses, back cover more loss, pages are reasonably clean, good copy. Vol 11 (1806) Solid binding with strong external hinges and less loss to cover material, pages are reasonably clean. Good copy. Vol 12 (1806) Cracked rear hinge extending most of the way down, back cover loosening. Crown of spine is detached (inserted in cover). Textblock and plates remain firmly bound and reasonably clean. Vol 13 (1807) Crack on back hinge but cover remains reasonably firm, material loss to both covers; front cover curiously exhibiting reversed-letter patterns in lost material. Textblock is solid and pages are clean. Vol 14 (1807) Externally solid with moderate material loss on covers, pages lightly toned but clean. Vol 15 (1807) Crown of spine splitting loose but attached, loss to material on cover. Pages and textblock remain firmly bound with some light toning but clean overall. Vol 16 (1808) Front cover detached but present, crown of spine delaminating, significant staining in first few pages including title and frontispiece, otherwise reasonably clean. Fair copy. Tome Complimentaire (1809) Front hinge cracked by crown (also slightly split), extending most of the way, with front cover starting to loosen but holding. Material loss to covers, pages and textblock remain solid and clean. The 17 volumes weigh just over 9.1 kg (just over 20 lbs) and fill 42.5 cm (17 inches) on the shelf. Shipping to most locations via Canada Post.

Price: 425 CAD

Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia

End Time: 2024-12-01T16:38:51.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A CAD