MARITIME HISTORY - TRAVELLING -- BRUIN (also BRUYN or BRUIJN), C. de. Reizen over Moskovie, door Persie en Indie. Vertoonende De beroemste lantschappen en steden, ook de byzondere dragten, beesten, gewassen en planten, (…). Voor al derzelver oudheden, En wel voornamentlyk heel uitvoerig, die van het (…) Hof van Persepolis, By den Persiaenen Tchilminar genaemt. (2e dr.). Amst., R. & G. Wetstein, (a.o.), 1714. In 2 vols. (8), 472, (12) pp. W. engr. front. by B. Picart, title in red and black, fine engr. portrait of the author by Gerrit Valck, 2 folding engr. maps, 11 fold. panoramic views, 56 double-p. plates, 42 full-p. plates and 36 engr. in text. Lge-fol. Very fine cont. mottled cf., sides w. gilt fillet tooling along edges, spine richly gilt and raised in compartments w. red title label. (Upper joint split for about 10 cm., top of spine in need of repair (but is 'all there'), tear in blank margin of leaf 1L3, some very light age-toning in places, but a wonderful copy).
Copy on large paper with bookplate of 'Six van Hillegom' on inner upper paste down. Cornelis de Bruin (1652-1727), Dutch painter and traveller, wrote two important travel accounts of which this is the second. In 1701 he started this second journey which led him to Russia, Persia, India and Indonesia. In Russia he visited Archangelsk and the Samoyeds in North Russia. He was also commissioned to paint the cousins of Czar Peter with whom De Bruin also had a conversation in Dutch. In Persia he visited Persepolis and Ispahan. In 1705 he went to Ceylon and Java. He travelled with his eyes wide open, collecting seeds, describing animal and plant life. He also had a keen interest in the languages he came across and paid attention to cuneiform script. The drawings he made, especially the large folding panoramic views of Moscow (30 x 190 cm), Ispahan (30 x 190 cm) and Persepolis (in 4 parts measuring in total 30 x 250 cm!), are very important because they are the first foreign representations of that kind and beautifully executed. - Tiele, 209; Drijvers, (e.a.). "Ik hadde de nieusgierigheid". De reizen door het Nabije Oosten v. C. de Bruijn (ca. 1652-1727); Cat. NHSM, p. 257.€ 5000
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