Beschreibung:

EUROPE -- [A Collection of Vues d'Optique of Europe.] Mainly Paris, Augsburg and London: Daumont, Huquier, Basset, G. B. Probst and others, c. 1740-70. 2° (495 x 325mm). 85 HAND-COLOURED ENGRAVED VIEWS, almost all of European cities, by Heudelot, Moithey the Elder, Muller, Corvinus and others after Wale, Kleiner and others, 12 with reversed titles for viewing by stereoscope. (Some dampstaining and finger soiling, plate of Foundling Hospital, London with heavy marginal soiling.) Later paper-covered boards (upper section of back joint split, scuffed). An extensive collection of vues d'optiques, mainly of European cities, but also including one view of Peking and one of Palmyra. Vues d'optiques became popular in the mid-18th century, particularly in France, which partly explains the predominance of French views in the present collection. The views of Europe are as follows: France (23), mainly of Paris and Versailles, but also Marseille (2), Brest (1), Calais (1) and Nancy (1); England (15), mainly of London (including the gardens at Vauxhall and Ranelagh, Hampton Court Palace, as well as Westminster, Chelsea, Cheapside and views along the Thames), with 2 views of Oxford; Holland (10), including Amsterdam (5), Antwerp (1), The Hague (2), Delft (1) and Dorth, or Dordrecht (1); Vienna (3); Germany (8), including Frankfurt (2), Augsburg (4) and Wurzburg (1); Italy (14), including Rome (9), Florence (2), Venice (1), Milan (1) and Parma (1); St. Petersburg (2); Spain (3), including Granada (2); Lisbon (1); Poland (1); Denmark (1), one view of a winter scene, perhaps in Prague and two views of garden scenes, in unspecified countries. Many of the plates published by Georg Balthasar Probst are likely to have been taken from his series of Stadtansichten , cf. Berlin Kat. 1926.