Beschreibung:

MAYER, Luigi (d.1803). [ Works ]. London: 1801-1810, 4 works in 2 volumes comprising: Views in Egypt . London: Thomas Bensley for R. Bowyer, 1801-[1803]. 48 hand-coloured etched and aquatint plates by Thomas Milton after Mayer. FIRST EDITION. Atabey 785; Blackmer 1097; Brunet III, 1556-1557; Colas 2018. Views in Palestine . London: T. Bensley for R. Bowyer, 1804. Text in English and French. 24 hand-coloured etched and aquatint plates after Mayer. FIRST EDITION. Atabey 788; Blackmer 1099; Brunet III, 1557; Colas 2020. Views in the Ottoman Empire . London: T. Bensley for R. Bowyer, 1803. Titles and text in English and French. 24 hand-coloured etched and aquatint plates after Mayer. Atabey 787; Blackmer 1098; Brunet III, 1557; Colas 2021. 3 works in one volume. (Occasional spotting or light marking, some offsetting from plates onto text.) Abbey Travel 369 (the complete work). Views in the Ottoman Dominions, in Europe in Asia, and Some of the Mediterranean Islands . London: T. Bensley for R. Bowyer, 1810. 4 parts in one volume. Text in English and French. 71 hand-coloured etched and aquatint plates by William Watts and others after Mayer, one folding. (Duplicate text leaf to plate 57, scattered spotting and light offsetting from plates affecting text leaves.) FIRST COLLECTED EDITION. Abbey Travel 371; Atabey 789; Blackmer 1110; Brunet III, 1557; Colas 2022 (?2 parts only). 4 works in 2 volumes, 2° (464 x 325mm). Uniform contemporary straight-grained citron morocco gilt, covers panelled with a gilt fillet enclosing Botfield arms, roll-tooled borders, turn-ins gilt with greek-key rolls, flat spines gilt in compartments, gilt morocco lettering-pieces in three, the others decorated with floral and foliate tools, gilt edges (lightly rubbed and scuffed, one cover lightly spotted). A COMPLETE SET OF MAYER'S OTTOMAN, EGYPTIAN AND LEVANTINE VIEWS. Luigi Mayer studied with Piranesi and was later in the service of the King of Naples, for whom he made views of Sicily. In 1792 Mayer was hired in Constantinople as resident artist to a young Englishman touring the Levant. Mayer then joined the entourage of Sir Robert Ainslie (1729-1812), who had taken up the position of ambassador to the Ottoman Porte in 1776, a position he held until 1792. Mayer remained with Ainslie until 1794, when Mayer and his wife Clara Barthold Mayer accompanied Ainslie on his return to England. Although all the drawings from which the plates in these works were engraved are described on the respective title pages as being in the collection of Sir Robert Ainslie, Atabey argues that those reproduced in Egypt and The Ottoman Empire were made during Mayer's tour of the Levant, and not while in Ainslie's service. (2)