Beschreibung:

ASIEN. - Daniell, Thomas u. William. Oriental Scenery. 6 Bde. London, T. Bensley, 1795-1807 (1808). Imp.-Qu.-Fol. 6 Aquatinta-Tit. in Sepiadr., 144 kolor. Aquatinta-Taf. Hldr. d. Zt. mit etwas Rverg.
Abbey 420; Brunet II, 489; Cox I, 306; Ebert 5661ff.: "KK. von der grösst. Schönheit"; Graesse II, 325f.: "ouvrage magnifique"; Lowndes II, 588: "This is the finest work ever published on India"; Th./B. VIII, 361. - Erste Ausgabe. - "The Daniells left England in 1785, when William was only about sixteen, and they were back in England in 1794. From an early stage Thomas seems to have set out to emulate and surpass Hodges (whose own Select Views in India ... began to appear in May 1795) in popularizing his views through the comparatively new medium of aquatint... The accuracy of the work was probably greatly aided... by the fact that Thomas and William used a camera obscura , particularly useful, of course, for architectural subjects... The Oriental Scenery was undoubtedly partly responsible for the influence of Indian culture on the architects of the day" (Abbey). - Die besonders schönen, sorgfältig kolorierten Tafeln zeigen Ansichten von und aus Delhi, Allahabad, Patna, Benares, Agra, Kalkutta, Madras, Madura, Bangalore, Lucknow etc. etc., meist mit dekorativer Staffage. - Ohne den Textband (8°) und die Abbey zufolge erst der Quartausgabe von 1812-16 beigegebenen 8 Sepia-Pläne, sonst komplett. Die Tafeln auf starkem Velin und an Falzen, teilw. leicht stockfl., meist jedoch sauber, durchgehend w. Zwischenblätter. Einbände stark berieben u. bestoßen, die Rücken defekt u. teilw. fehlend, ohne die Bindebänder, einige Deckel lose. Without the text volume (8°) and the 8 sepia plans (which Abbey calls for only in the 4° edition of 1812-16), otherwise complete. The plates in excellent period colour, printed on thick wove, on mounts and with intermediary leaves throughout, some foxing but mostly clean. Contemporary half-leather bindings badly worn, lacking ties and parts of spines, some covers detached.