MARITIME HISTORY - TRAVELLING -- BRUYN (also BRUIN or BRUIJN), C. de. Reizen door de vermaardste Deelen van Klein Asia, De Eylanden Scio, Rhodus, Cyprus, Metelino, Stanchio, &c. Mitsgaders de voornaamste Steden van Ægypten, Syrien en Palestina. Delft, H. v. Krooneveld, 1698, (18), 398, (8) pp. W. engr. front. by Mulder, engr. portr. of the dedicatee Willem (William) III by P. à Gunst, engr. portr. of the author by Gerrit Valck, engr. fold. map, 17 (the majority very large) fold. panoramic views, 26 fold./double-p. plates, 58 full-p. plates and 18 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. (Some light age-toning/foxing throughout, plate 85 w. tear on plate edge, plate 112 w. more foxing than others, but a wonderful copy).
Cornelis de Bruyn (1652-1726 or 1727), Dutch portrait painter and traveller. In 1674 he decided to leave The Netherlands for Rome where he became a member of the Bentveughels, a company of Dutch and Flemish painters. After two and a half years in Rome he continued his journey in 1677 to the Near East. His voyages took him to Turkey, several Greek islands, Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Cyprus. In 1684 he travelled to Venice where he continued to work for eight years with the German painter Carlo Loth. In 1693 he returned to The Hague where he saw his 'Klein Asia' through the press. - Good copy with all the plates called for plus 1 folding map and the portrait of Willem III. The plates all accurately engraved - perhaps some by Luiken? - after drawings by De Bruyn himself, including large panoramic views of i.a. Smyrna, Constantinople (3 views, one of which is 25 x 150 cm!)), Jerusalem, Rhodos, Palmyra, Bethlehem, Aleppo, Scio, Rama, Alexandria (2). First & only edition. Copy on large paper with bookplate of 'Six van Hillegom' on inner upper paste down and from the library of Jan Six I (1618-1700) who is also in the list of subscribers: "Onderzoekers en rariteitenverzamelaars als (…) Jan Six, (…) tonen eveneens door intekening hun belangstelling voor het boek." (In: Drijvers, (e.a.), "Ik hadde de nieusgierigheid". De reizen door het Nabije Oosten v. Cornelis de Bruijn (ca. 1652-1727), p. 24 et passim). - Wurzbach I, 216-7; Tiele, 207; Cat. NHSM, 257; Cox I, 218: "One of the best illustrated works on the Levant".€ 5000
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