Giulio Ferrario (1767–1847) - Il costume antico e moderno – Africa - 1823-1825

Giulio Ferrario – Il costume antico e moderno – Africa – 1823–1825

Three magnificently illustrated, over 200-year-old volumes with a total of 124 plates, of which 122 hand-coloured – all plates present – in beautiful historical morocco bindings with gold tooling.

Offered are three related volumes from the Africa section of Giulio Ferrario’s famous monumental work Il costume antico e moderno, published in Florence by Vincenzo Batelli between 1823 and 1825.

This is the second, revised and expanded edition (Edizione seconda riveduta ed accresciuta).

The work ranks among the significant illustrated cultural-historical publications of the early 19th century and documents the history, religions, clothing, art, architecture and daily life of the peoples and cultures of Africa from the perspective of its time of creation.

Bibliographic details

* Author: Giulio Ferrario (1767–1847)
* Title: Il costume antico e moderno – Africa
* Place of publication: Florence (Firenze)
* Publisher: Vincenzo Batelli
* Edition: Second, revised and expanded edition
* Volume I: 1823
* Volume II: 1823
* Volume III: 1825
* Copies: 3 volumes
* Illustrations: 124 plates, of which 122 hand-coloured and 2 not coloured, including an Africa map
* Language: Italian
* Bindings: Uniform historical morocco bindings with decorative gold tooling

Contents of the three volumes

Volume I – Egypt (1823)

This volume is dedicated in particular to the history and culture of ancient Egypt, its religion, mythology, architecture and social conditions.

The numerous illustrations depict among other things Egyptian deities, historical rulers, temples, pyramids, monuments, clothing, weapons, animals and plants, as well as scenes of daily life.

Volume II – North Africa (1823)

The second volume covers the history, culture and daily life of North African peoples and societies.

Historical forms of rule, religions, clothing, customs and social traditions are depicted.

Volume III – Ethiopia and Central Africa (1825)

The third volume contains historical, geographical and ethnographic descriptions of African regions and their peoples, including depictions of clothing, traditions, religions and social conditions.

124 plates – complete and predominantly hand-coloured

A special merit of this edition is the complete illustration set for all three volumes.

In total, 124 plates exist, of which 122 are hand-coloured and only two are uncoloured.

The illustration corpus is distributed as follows:

* Volume I: 48 plates, including the Africa map
* Volume II: 29 plates
* Volume III: 47 plates

All 124 plates are present. Not a single plate is missing.

Completeness has been checked against the original plate lists of the three volumes.

The elaborately executed illustrations impress with their level of detail and their attractive historical coloration. They offer a fascinating glimpse into European representation and study of Africa in the early 19th century.

The large number of hand-coloured plates makes this edition especially appealing to collectors of historical travel and African literature as well as illustrated books.

Condition

The three books are in remarkably good condition for their age of over 200 years.

Particularly noteworthy are the beautiful, uniform historical morocco bindings with decorative gold-embossed spine titles and ornaments.

The bindings of all three volumes are firm and stable.

The bindings show age-appropriate signs of wear, especially slight rubbing on edges and spine.

The pages and illustrations are overall well preserved. Occasional age-related foxing, slight paper discoloration and other usual signs of use may be found.

The hand-coloured plates retain their beautiful color.

Altogether this is an exceptionally attractive and authentic antiquarian ensemble, convincing with its decorative bindings, the extensive hand-coloured illustration stock and the complete plate provision.

Three beautiful historical volumes that are of particular bibliophilic and cultural-historical interest.

The numerous photographs convey a detailed impression of equipment, illustrations and condition and are part of the condition description.

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Shipping and packaging

Due to the age, weight and sensitivity of these historical books, shipping is done with special care in packaging.

The books are individually protected, packed together securely and sent as insured parcels with tracking, wherever offered for the destination country.

The stated shipping costs take into account, besides the actual parcel postage, the necessary packaging materials and the effort for safe transport.

For deliveries outside the European Union, additional import duties, taxes or fees may apply. These are not part of the shipping costs and are to be borne by the buyer.

Privacy / Disclaimer

The sale is made from a private collection.

The books are offered as used antiquarian collectibles in the described and photographed condition.

Age-related wear and storage marks are to be expected in books over 200 years old and do not constitute a separate defect, provided they are described or visible in the photos.

This is a private sale with exclusion of statutory warranty for material defects, insofar as legally permissible. The exclusion does not apply to fraudulently concealed defects or expressly assumed guarantees, or in cases where liability is legally excluded.