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Campi phlegraei. Observations on the volcanos of the Two Sicilies. - Supplement to the Campi Phlegraei being an account of the great eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the month of August 1779. Edited by Pietro Fabris. Naples: [for Pietro Fabris], 1776-1779.
Details
Hamilton, Sir William (1730-1803)
Campi phlegraei. Observations on the volcanos of the Two Sicilies. - Supplement to the Campi Phlegraei being an account of the great eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the month of August 1779. Edited by Pietro Fabris. Naples: [for Pietro Fabris], 1776-1779.
An exceptionally fine copy of the first edition, complete with the supplement, of Hamilton's 'superbly illustrated work on the volcanic region around Naples' (Rudwick), from the library of the 5th Earl of Rosebery. Sir William Hamilton, antiquary and art collector, was captivated by the grandeur of Vesuvius while serving as British ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples (1764 to 1800) and devoted himself to the scientific study and appreciation of the volcano. He became the 'outstanding scientific authority' of the region and submitted detailed and technical observations of volcanic activity around Naples and in Sicily, some reproduced here, to the Royal Society, to which he was elected in 1766. He led tours to share his fascination, and the present work arose , and he led tours to share his fascination with a wider public. The Campi Phlegraei 'provided a clearer, more precise and useful explanation of volcanic activity than ever published before' (Jenkin and Sloan).
This lavish production, with its remarkable hand-coloured plates after Pietro Fabris and executed under the watchful eye of Hamilton himself, depicts the changing rim of the erupting Vesuvius, as well as other volcanoes in the region, lava samples, and dramatic views of the country. Hamilton witnessed the earthquakes and eruptions of the 1760s and 1770s in the manner of a modern Pliny. Within four years he ascended Vesuvius twenty-two times, sometimes at great risk, since both he and Fabris wished to make sketches at every stage of the eruptions. The plates often depict the two men, in red and blue coats, moving through the landscape together. Campi Phlegraei did a great deal to cement the romance of the volcano in popular culture, and to promote Vesuvius as a major destination during the grand tour (ODNB). Brunet III, 31; ESTC T71231 (parts I-II); I. Jenkins & K. Sloan, Vases and Volcanoes, cat. 43; Lowndes II, p. 989; M.J.S. Rudwick, Bursting the Limits of Time (2005), p. 30.
3 parts in one volume, folio (442 x 310mm). Letterpress titles and parallel text in English and French, French translation by Pietro Fabris, 59 handcoloured engraved plates after Fabris, plates edged in black with grey wash margins, double-page hand-coloured engraved map by Joseph Guerra. Contemporary red morocco gilt, spine gilt in compartments, blue speckled endpapers, gilt edges. Provenance: Sir Henry St John Mildmay, Bt. (1853-1916), Dogmersfield Library (armorial bookplate, sale Sotheby’s, 18-20 April 1907, lot 5587, £2 2s, James Bain for:) – Archibald, 5th Earl of Rosebery (armorial bookplate and label, sale Sotheby’s, 29 October 2009, lot 54) – Antonio Bonchristiano (bookplate).
Campi phlegraei. Observations on the volcanos of the Two Sicilies. - Supplement to the Campi Phlegraei being an account of the great eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the month of August 1779. Edited by Pietro Fabris. Naples: [for Pietro Fabris], 1776-1779.
An exceptionally fine copy of the first edition, complete with the supplement, of Hamilton's 'superbly illustrated work on the volcanic region around Naples' (Rudwick), from the library of the 5th Earl of Rosebery. Sir William Hamilton, antiquary and art collector, was captivated by the grandeur of Vesuvius while serving as British ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples (1764 to 1800) and devoted himself to the scientific study and appreciation of the volcano. He became the 'outstanding scientific authority' of the region and submitted detailed and technical observations of volcanic activity around Naples and in Sicily, some reproduced here, to the Royal Society, to which he was elected in 1766. He led tours to share his fascination, and the present work arose , and he led tours to share his fascination with a wider public. The Campi Phlegraei 'provided a clearer, more precise and useful explanation of volcanic activity than ever published before' (Jenkin and Sloan).
This lavish production, with its remarkable hand-coloured plates after Pietro Fabris and executed under the watchful eye of Hamilton himself, depicts the changing rim of the erupting Vesuvius, as well as other volcanoes in the region, lava samples, and dramatic views of the country. Hamilton witnessed the earthquakes and eruptions of the 1760s and 1770s in the manner of a modern Pliny. Within four years he ascended Vesuvius twenty-two times, sometimes at great risk, since both he and Fabris wished to make sketches at every stage of the eruptions. The plates often depict the two men, in red and blue coats, moving through the landscape together. Campi Phlegraei did a great deal to cement the romance of the volcano in popular culture, and to promote Vesuvius as a major destination during the grand tour (ODNB). Brunet III, 31; ESTC T71231 (parts I-II); I. Jenkins & K. Sloan, Vases and Volcanoes, cat. 43; Lowndes II, p. 989; M.J.S. Rudwick, Bursting the Limits of Time (2005), p. 30.
3 parts in one volume, folio (442 x 310mm). Letterpress titles and parallel text in English and French, French translation by Pietro Fabris, 59 handcoloured engraved plates after Fabris, plates edged in black with grey wash margins, double-page hand-coloured engraved map by Joseph Guerra. Contemporary red morocco gilt, spine gilt in compartments, blue speckled endpapers, gilt edges. Provenance: Sir Henry St John Mildmay, Bt. (1853-1916), Dogmersfield Library (armorial bookplate, sale Sotheby’s, 18-20 April 1907, lot 5587, £2 2s, James Bain for:) – Archibald, 5th Earl of Rosebery (armorial bookplate and label, sale Sotheby’s, 29 October 2009, lot 54) – Antonio Bonchristiano (bookplate).
Brought to you by
Eugenio Donadoni
Senior Specialist, Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts