Galerie de scènes et d'impressions historiques, morales et pittoresques du royaume de Naples.
Naples: Borel et Bompard, 1841. With a contemporary gouache paint of Mount Vesuvius erupting, with four vessels in the sea in the foreground (10.5 × 7 cm) on p. (7). First edition. In contemporary half leather. Gilt spine. (9), 10–61, (1) p. Spine worn, title vignette fray. Occasional foxing. Overall a good copy.
The painting is depicting probably the eruption of 1834 that has been also witnessed and recorded in his diary by Hans Christian Andersen: “Smoke swirled thickly up out of Vesuvius, and the lava gave off a cloud of steam… At dusk I walked down to the sea. Vesuvius spewed great streams of lava; it blazed into the air; it was like tongues of fire flaring up. This is the most violent I have seen it."
The book is a guide to Naples and its surroundings, contains two poems about the Vesuvius one by René Richard Louis Castel “Le Vésuve en courroux sous ses monts caverneux" (1802; p. 41.) and by Charles-Julien Lioult de Chênedollé “Le Vésuve” (1822; p. 45.). The book has also been published under the title “Souvenirs d'une promenade au mont Vésuve” in the same year. Under this title (“Galerie…”) we could not trace any copies in institutional holdings.
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Price: €1,500.00