CASTELLAN Antoine Laurent Moeurs, usages, costumes des Othomans, et abrégé de leur histoire.

Atabey, 204; Koç, 195; Blackmer, 300 (erroneous collation for plates); Colas, 545; Lipperheide, 1427.

First edition.

Antoine Laurent Castellan (1772-1838) was a French architect, painter and engraver. He studied landscape painting at Valenciennes and travelled to Switzerland, Italy and the Ottoman Empire. He also made a very brief visit to the Ottoman territories, mainly southern Greece and the islands (Zakynthos, Kythera, the Peloponnese and Hydra) as well as Istanbul and the Hellespont. At the end of the 18th century, under the reign of Sultan Selim III, the French state organised an expedition to Istanbul with the aim of improving relations with the Ottoman Empire. Castellan took part in this expedition as a painter-draughtsman. The expedition was a failure, as its members were forced to flee the country in the face of war, epidemics, fires and revolt. Despite these obstacles, Castellan nevertheless published his impressions of the journey, illustrated with engravings based on his drawings made on the spot.

There are three known issues of this edition: in wrappers, with the plates in black (ordinary edition); boards, with the plates in colour (deluxe edition); and 2 copies on vellum. This copy, complete with 72 plates (including a frontispiece for each volume), corresponds well to the deluxe edition. The beautiful plates show costumes, headdresses, some monuments, the interior of a hammam, etc.

Some foxing.