Giulio Ferrario - Giulio Ferrario – Il Costume Antico e Moderno – Aggiunte II: L’Oceanica, Ägypten, Nubien & Afrika – - 1834

SELten OFFERING SUPPLEMENTARY VOLUME FROM 1834 – 546 PAGES – 74 PLATES, OF WHICH 71 HAND-COLOURED – 2 HISTORICAL MAPS – OCEANIA, EGYPT, NUBIA AND AFRICA

Bibliographical details

Author: Giulio Ferrario (1767–1847)

Work: Il Costume Antico e Moderno o Storia del governo, della milizia, della religione, delle arti, scienze ed usanze di tutti i popoli antichi e moderni

Edition: Second, revised and enlarged Florentine edition

Volume: Additions, Volume II – L’Oceanica or fifth part of the world / Additions to the costume of the Africans

Publisher: Vincenzo Batelli, Florence, 1834

Language: Italian

Extent: 546 pages, 74 plates, of which 71 hand-coloured and 3 not coloured, as well as 2 historical maps (according to the tally of the present copy).

Special feature and rarity

This copy is not an ordinary geographic single volume, but the standalone second supplementary volume (Aggiunte II) from Giulio Ferrario’s monumental illustrated work Il Costume Antico e Moderno.

What is particularly remarkable is the limited apparent market availability of this specific edition. In previous research on international antiquarian platforms such as AbeBooks, viaLibri and Marelibri, no clearly identical, separately offered bound copy of Aggiunte II, Florence 1834, could be documented. This statement refers to observed market availability, not to the number of copies surviving worldwide.

The volume is bibliographically recorded in the French library network catalogue Catalogue collectif de France (CCFr/BnF).

Its peculiarity lies in the unusual combination of Oceania and exploration history, early scientific Egyptology after Champollion, and historical Africa and ethnography.

Content and historical significance

Oceania and Australia: The first part covers Timor, Ombay, Papua, the Carolines and Marianas, the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) as well as Australia (Nova Hollandia). The plates depict historical views, dress, architecture, boats, ceremonies and everyday life. It includes a large folding world map (planisphere).

Egypt and Nubia: Of particular scholarly-historical interest are the Aggiunte al Costume dell’Egitto e della Nubia, secondo le scoperte di Champollion. This section builds on early Egyptology findings and discusses Abu Simbel, Philae, Thebes, Karnak and Dendera, as well as hieroglyphs, pharaohs, Egyptian deities, religion and architecture.

The decorative hand-coloured depictions of ancient Egyptian deities, pharaohs and monuments are especially striking.

Africa: Further chapters cover Sudan, Sennar, Bornu, Timbuktu, the Niger, Central Africa, the Congo and North Africa. The illustrations document historical views, dress, social ceremonies and cultural traditions from the European publications of the early 19th century.

Extraordinary visual apparatus – 74 plates, of which 71 hand-coloured

A standout feature of this copy is the extensive visual apparatus with 74 historical plates, of which 71 are hand-coloured, plus two additional maps.

The colouring is notably fresh and vividly preserved for most of the plates. In particular the strong reds, blues, greens and yellows in the Egyptian and ethnographic depictions exhibit remarkable brilliance.

Among the especially notable illustrations are historical views of Oceania, depictions of Egyptian gods and rulers, African everyday scenes, as well as the folding world map and a historical map of the Niger region.

The French library reference lists 73 plates and cartographic addenda. The present copy’s count differs, possibly due to different bibliographic counting methods. The original table of contents and list of plates on pages 541–546 are present. A complete single collation of all plate positions is not guaranteed.

The volume remains as a coherent historical book and was not separated for individual sale of its decorative plates.

Binding and condition

For a work from 1834, the internal condition is overall pleasing.

The book block is tight, the text pages are in very good condition overall, and the 71 hand-coloured plates mostly show remarkably fresh and strong colours.

The decorative older half-leather binding has marbled covers and a gold-embossed spine bearing the title L’Oceanica.

The outer binding shows more pronounced signs of aging and wear, particularly wear to the spine and hinges. There are areas of age-toned paper browning, foxing and creases/usage marks.

The numerous photographs document the binding’s condition, the text pages, plates, maps and the colouring.

Collector interest

A rarely offered supplementary volume with an exceptionally extensive illustration program, uniting three major collecting fields: Oceania, Champollion-era Egyptology and historical African studies.

Its special bibliographic status, the scarce detectable market presence and especially the 74 plates, of which 71 are hand-coloured, make this copy an attractive object for collectors of illustrated books, travelogues, ethnography and early Egyptology.

Private sale

The book comes from my private collection and is being sold by me as a private individual.

The description has been prepared to the best of my knowledge based on the present copy and bibliographic references. As this is a nearly 200-year-old antiquarian work, undetected defects, older repairs, or changes due to aging may be present despite careful examination.

All photographs are expressly part of the description and are decisive for assessing extent, equipment, colouring and condition. Please inspect them carefully.

Sale is made with exclusion of liability for material defects to the extent permitted by law. Statutory liability for intent or gross negligence and for damage arising from injury to life, body or health remains unaffected. Mandatory provisions of the sales platform remain unaffected.