LORY (Gabriel Ludwig) - LORY (Mathias Gabriel). - Lot 79

LORY (Gabriel Ludwig) - LORY (Mathias Gabriel). Voyage pittoresque de Genève à Milan par le Simplon. Second edition. Basel : imprimerie Guillaume Haas, 1819. - In-folio, 411 x 275. Long-grained dark blue morocco, boards richly decorated with a large gilded and mosaic cathedral decoration, surrounded by cold cathedral motifs edged with gilded fillets, ribbed spine adorned with very fine gilded and mosaic motifs, dark blue morocco framing inside, adorned with a gilded scroll and fillets, red cardboard lining and endpapers, gilded edges, green silk-covered slipcase (Simier, relieur du roi). Second edition of this remarkable work, first published in Paris in 1811. It includes 35 color views, drawn from life by Swiss painter and engraver Gabriel Lory (1763-1840), his son Mathias Gabriel Lory (1784-1846) and Maximilien de Meuron (1785-1868), engraved in aquatint by Gabriel Lory and with the assistance of Höferlin. Its publication was intended to celebrate Napoleon's new Simplon route, "ushering in the era of modern Alpine crossing. The images show the engineers' new achievements, and also provide a sort of typology of road users. Old meets new, carriages meet shepherds, peddlers and strollers" (Reichier, Les Alpes et leurs imagiers, 2013, p. 39). The book is divided into 4 parts, with descriptions by publisher Jean Frédéric d'Ostervald (1773-1850): 1. Tableau général du lac de Genève avec 4 vues : Genève depuis Cologni. - The waters of Amphion, near Evian. - The shores of Lake Geneva, near Saint-Gingouph. - The end of Lake Geneva, near Boveret. 2. General view of the Valais with 4 views: Saint-Maurice bridge. - Pissevache waterfall. - Sion, seen from the west. - Sion, seen from the east. 3. General view of the Simplon with 21 views: Brieg. - View of the Ganther gallery and bridge. - Schalbet gallery exit. - Schalbet gallery. - The Glacier gallery. - Location of the Simplon hospice. - Simplon village. - The Algaby Gallery. - Inside the Algaby Gallery. - Ponte Alto. - The New Road near the main gallery. - Inside the main gallery. - The exit from the main gallery. - View near Gondo. - The Issel gallery. - Entrance to the Dovedro valley. - Bridge over the Cherasca. - Entrance to the last gallery. - View of the Crevola bridge and the Domo d'Ossola valley. - View of the Crevola bridge. - Villa. 4. General view of Lake Maggiore with 6 views: View of Baveno bridge and Isola Madre. - View of Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Isles. - Isola Bella. - Isola Bella, taken from Stresa. - Aroma. - Sesto. A remarkable copy in a sumptuous cathedral binding by Alphonse Simier (1795-1859), the King's bookbinder, made especially for the 1827 exhibition. Certainly the finest copy of this work in existence. Two marks of knocks on the spine, otherwise the binding is perfectly preserved. Some foxing. The slipcase is worn. Exhibition: Salon de 1827. - Les Richesses de la Librairie française, 1954.