Bidspirit auction | Hancarville & David’s Antiquites Etrusques,

Hancarville & David’s Antiquites Etrusques, Grecques, et Romains – 5 Volumes with 361 Engravings - This fascinating collection is Pierre Francois Hughues d'Hancarville & François-Anne David’s Antiquites Etrusques, Grecques, et Romains . This is the second edition of the work published in Paris y L'Auteur & David between 1785 and 1787. This is the reduced (in size of printing) edition of Antiquités... Tirées du Cabinet de M. Hamilton first published in 1766. (Blackmer) This collection includes five volumes, each with 72 plates of vases with their art on separate plates. There are two caveats however, Volume 1 includes a plate with two engravings, and volume 5 includes 30 engravings of statues. Each volume begins with the engravings done by François-Anne David (many with original hand-coloring), and follows with descriptions of the plates by d’Hancarville. The plates in this book come from vases collected in the, at the time, relatively recently discovered Pompeii, and would have served to educate contemporaries on primary sources of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman art. The engravings illustrate Sir William Hamilton's collection of ancient vases. The work is of particular importance in the development of neo-classical designs for pottery and porcelain, including Wedgwood. The copperplate engravings were done by F. A. David and on chain-lined paper. The illustrations shoed antique vases, urns, and mythological scenes. Francois-Anne David (1741-1824) was French engraver. He was the student of Jacques-Phillipe la Bas, the head of the largest engraving workshop in Paris. His other works include portraits of famous figures of his time, such as Catherine II of Russia and Denis Diderot. Pierre-Francois Hugues d’Hancarville (1719-1805) was an historian of art who worked in both France and Italy. He spent his life traveling throughout Europe and in the 1750s, came into contact with William Hamilton, the English ambassador to Naples. Together, they produced various works on ancient European art, particularly ancient vases, many of which were sourced from Pompeii. Paper Size: ~ 7 3/4” by 10” Paper Type or Special Features: Five Volumes with 361 Engravings (186 with Original Hand-coloring) + 5 Frontispieces