MAYER, Luigi (1755-1803) - Views in Egypt, from the Original Drawings in the Possession of Sir Robert Ainslie, Taken during his Embassy to Constantinople. London: Thomas Bensley and R. Bowyer, 1801 [con filigrana Whatman datata 1801].   First edition of this renown work in folio. The fine illustrations include the great pyramids and the Sphinx, and costume plates of people from different regions and classes, including Bedouin and Egyptian families, dancing girls, and a striking image of a Mamluk soldier on horseback. The Mamluks were a powerful military class of knights who were originally enslaved mercenaries serving under Arab rulers. They went on to take control over territories in Egypt and Syria and ruled these regions under a Mamluk Sultanate for centuries. Other subjects depicted in the plates include mosques, Egyptian antiquities, seascapes, and other notable landmarks.   Folio (463 x 325mm). 48 fine plates in contemporary handcolouring (browned and spotted). Contemporary half calf over marbled boards (extremities lightly rubbed).

Estimate € 800 - 1,200

Sold € 950