BÖTTIGER (Karl August). Sabine ou matinée d'une dame romaine à sa toilette, à la fin de premier siècle de l'ère chrétienne. Pour servir à l'histoire de la vie privée des Romains et à l'intelligence des auteurs anciens. Paris : Maradan, 1813. - In-8, long-grained red morocco, boards decorated with a wide gilt frame composed of flowered spandrels linked on the right and left edges by three fillets and a rocaille motif, crowned LP figure in the center, within a diamond-shaped frame of three gilt fillets, ornate smooth spine, inner gilt roulette, blue tabis linings and endpapers, gilt edges (period binding). Barbier, IV, col. 399. - Quérard, II, p. 215. First edition of the French translation attributed to Alexandre Clapier (1798-1891) of this historical fiction by German archaeologist and scholar Karl August Böttiger (1760-1835). In eight scenes, the author recounts details of the daily life of Sabine, a wealthy Roman woman from high society. Blending fiction and history, he describes her grooming rituals, her social interactions, and the cultural and aesthetic aspects of her environment. Each scene is accompanied by supporting notes and a supplement with notes. This text is a perfect example of the way in which certain scholars of the time proceeded to make historical and archaeological knowledge accessible to the widest possible audience. The edition is illustrated with a frontispiece and 13 interesting line-engraved plates, the majority of which depict archaeological finds taken from M. de Caylus's collection, the Villa Pinciana in Rome, the Musée du Prince Borghèse, etc. These engravings are in pre-publication condition. These engravings are in "avant la lettre" condition, which is common to all the copies we have seen. A SUPERB COPY BOUND IN THE PERIOD WITH THE CROWNED CIPHER OF KING LOUIS-PHILIPPE. Head cover missing, one corner dull. Restored tear at the bottom of the first few leaves, with no damage to the text. Provenance: Louis-Philippe, with his cipher on the boards.