Collection de Dessins Lithographiés représentant les Principales Positions du Canonnier, dans les Manoeuvres de lArtillerie Française.
1824. MARESCHAL, Armand-Adrien. "Collection de Dessins Lithographiés représentant les Principales Positions du Canonnier, dans les Manoeuvres de lArtillerie Française; Ouvrage exécuté par Ordre de Son Excellence le Maréchal Duc de Bellune, Ministre de la Guerre, par le Cher. Mareschal, Officier au Corps Royal de lArtillerie, ancien Elève de lEcole Polytechnique." (Collection of lithographed drawings representing the main positions of the gunner in the maneuvers of the French artillery....)." Paris: Lithographie d'Engelmann, rue Lois-le-Grand, No. 27 (plates) and Firmin-Didot, 1824 (text sheets). In-folio, 12 sheets of plate explanations and 36 plates. Handsome modern binding of 1/4 leather and marbled boards with new endpapers, encompassing the entire original set within its publisher's blue paper covers. Extremely rare and superb collection engraved by Engelman after the drawings of the talented artist-author Mareschal, a professional artillery officer and member of the École polytechnique. This handsome series on artillery drill and the guns and carriages was produced at the request of the Minister of War. It was originally started in 1820, with the first series released in 1823 but not completed and published in its entirety until 1824. We see intrepid mustachioed cannoneers handling artillery pieces with terrible coolness, in the midst of the smoke of the battlefields. (Colas 1982--copy cited by Colas contains only the first series of 20 lithographs; the complete collection as presented here, has all 36 litho. plates). CONDITION: very good to excellent overall; text pages and plates bright and clean the first few text pages with some marginal smudging; all plates in very good condition, with strong impressions; the final series of 4 plates and text very light toned. Item #62
Price: $4,500.00