Von Murr - Gemälde und Alterthümer - 1782

ERCOLANO AND POMPEII 1782: 105 ENGRAVINGS ON THE EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERIES OF ROMAN ANTIQUITY
Important eighteenth-century edition devoted to the archaeological treasures unearthed in the excavations at Herculaneum, Pompeii, and Campania. Sixth part of the monumental illustrated work by Christoph Gottlieb von Murr, published in Augsburg in 1782. An exceptional iconographic repository with 105 copperplate engravings dedicated to statues and bronzes of antiquity. Refined engravings by Georg Christoph Kilian, drawn from the famous publications promoted by the Bourbon court of Naples. A precious testimony to the rediscovery of the Roman world that fascinated Europe’s Enlightenment and Grand Tour travelers.

ABSTRACT
Christoph Gottlieb von Murr, Abbildungen der Gemälde und Alterthümer in dem Königlich Neapolitanischen Museo zu Portici, sixth part, Bildsäulen von Erz, Augusta, Christian Deckardt, 1782. Important illustrated archaeological publication devoted to bronze statues and antiquities found in the excavations at Herculaneum, Pompeii and the Vesuvian localities, starting from 1738. The volume belongs to one of the most significant German publishing undertakings of the eighteenth century dedicated to disseminating the discoveries of Campanian archaeology. The work presents an extraordinary collection of 105 engravings on copper, provided for the edition, executed by Georg Christoph Kilian based on images published in the monumental Italian series Le Antichità di Ercolano esposte. The plates reproduce statues of deities, mythological figures, personages of antiquity, busts, decorative elements, and bronze artifacts, documenting the material testimonies of the Roman civilization resurfaced after centuries of volcanic burial. The explanatory texts by Murr accompany the illustrations with historical, antiquarian, and mythological observations. Particularly fascinating is the presence of large folded plates with groups of statues, busts, and artifacts, evidence of the refined figurative and archaeological culture of European Enlightenment.

WHY TO BUY
A work of great interest for collectors of archaeology, classical antiquities, the history of Naples, Herculaneum, and Pompeii, eighteenth-century engravings, and Grand Tour culture. The discovery of the Vesuvian cities represented one of the most important cultural events of the eighteenth century, profoundly altering knowledge of Roman art and daily life. The volume directly testifies to this crucial moment in the history of archaeology through a vividly rich and suggestive figurative apparatus. The engravings reproduce famous ancient bronzes, allowing one to observe Europe’s fascination with the Portici Museum collections, an institution desired by the Bourbon rulers to house artifacts from the excavations. The presence of large-format plates, some folded, lends the work notable decorative and documentary value. The date 1782 places the exemplar in the early editorial phase of the German series, preceding subsequent reprints and revisions. A book capable of uniting scientific interest, art history, mythology, and antiquarian fascination.

MARKET VALUE
The antiquarian market for eighteenth-century publications dedicated to Herculaneum and Pompeii shows particular interest in richly illustrated and complete exemplars of the original plates. For a single copy of the sixth part from 1782, complete with all 105 plates and in satisfactory condition, an indicative commercial valuation of 700–900 euros seems prudent. The presence of large folded engravings, the good state of the images, and belonging to the first editorial series are favorable elements.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Ancient binding with boards covered in dark marbled paper and a brown leather spine, with raised bands and traces of gold decoration, signs of wear. Volume in German, with the original typographic title-page printed in Gothic type. Numerous full-page and folded engravings depicting bronze statues, busts, mythological figures, small bronzes, decorative elements, and antiquities. The plates present clear outlines and accurately reproduced details of the sculptures. Captions, numbering, and references to plates of the original Italian work are present. The sheets show natural browning, some stains, slight physiological foxing, and traces of time. In old books with a multisecular history, a few imperfections may exist, not always noted in the description. This insertion contains AI Visualizations. Refer to the original photographs to verify the object’s actual condition. The images are an integral part of the description. Pp. (2); 4nn; 36 + maps and plates.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Christoph Gottlieb von Murr.
Abbildungen der Gemälde und Alterthümer, in dem Königlich Neapolitanischen Museo zu Portici.
Augsburg, printed by Christian Deckardt, 1782.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The discovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii marked a fundamental turning point in the history of archaeology and European culture. After the initial accidental finds, systematic excavations at Herculaneum began in 1738 under the patronage of Charles of Bourbon, the future Charles III of Spain. The discovery of Pompeii followed in 1748, while research continued to reveal buildings, wall paintings, statues, bronzes, mosaics, and daily life objects of Roman life. These finds offered for the first time an extraordinarily rich material testimony of the first-century AD Roman civilization, preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79. To collect and study the antiquities, the Portici Museum was organized, housed in the Bourbon royal residence. The Italian publication Le Antichità di Ercolano esposte, begun in 1757, was one of the most important archaeological publishing projects of the century. Its magnificent engravings spread across Europe artistic models that would profoundly influence neoclassical taste, architecture, decoration, and the applied arts. The German series by Kilian and Murr made these images accessible to a wider audience, contributing to the circulation of archaeological knowledge in Central Europe. The sixth volume, devoted to bronze statues, holds particular interest for the history of ancient sculpture and the formation of modern museum collections.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Christoph Gottlieb von Murr (1733–1811) was a German historian, erudite, bibliophile, and art scholar, born and died in Nuremberg. A representative figure of Enlightenment-era scholarship, he developed vast interests, from art history to literature, from archaeology to the history of sciences and civilizations. He undertook numerous study trips in Europe, visiting libraries, art collections, and intellectual circles. He was the author of important historical and bibliographic publications and founded the Journal zur Kunstgeschichte und zur allgemeinen Litteratur, a journal that helped disseminate artistic and literary knowledge. His work as curator of the Ercolano and Pompeii antiquities series testifies to German scholars’ interest in the new Italian archaeological discoveries. He collaborated with Georg Christoph Kilian (1709–1781), an engraver and publisher based in Augsburg, known for his archaeological engravings and for adapting large illustrated publications to a broader audience. The collaboration between Murr and Kilian represents an important episode in the international diffusion of eighteenth-century antiquarian culture.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The grand undertaking of the Ercolano antiquities originated from the Italian series Le Antichità di Ercolano esposte, published in Naples from 1757 under Bourbon royal patronage. The splendid plates of the Neapolitan edition were mainly intended for sovereigns, academies, and prestigious figures, and their initial circulation was relatively limited. To meet the growing European interest in the Vesuvian discoveries, versions and adaptations were produced in different countries. The German series curated by Christoph Gottlieb von Murr and illustrated by Georg Christoph Kilian was progressively published in Augsburg starting in 1777. The first six volumes appeared between 1777 and 1782, while other volumes were published subsequently. The sixth volume, dated 1782 in the exemplar described, included 105 plates dedicated to bronze statues. The series was subsequently reprinted and revised; a second edition, corrected and updated, appeared from the 1790s onward. The 1782 exemplar thus belongs to the early editorial phase of the collection and precedes later reprints. The 1783 date reported by some library exemplars of the sixth part indicates bibliographic variation that merits study, though it alone does not allow definite determination of separate print runs or states of the engravings. A precise number of copies printed of the first issue of the sixth volume is not documented.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg, Abbildungen der Gemälde und Alterthümer, volume VI, Bildsäulen von Erz: 105 Kupfertafeln, Augsburg, 1783, digitized exemplar, DOI 10.11588/diglit.12613. Christoph Gottlieb von Murr, biographical and bibliographical German repertoires, with record of the sixth part published in 1782. Hollstein & Puppel, Lagerkatalog, no. 5, Berlin, 1924, lot 1434, sixth part of Murr and Kilian, Augsburg 1782, with 105 engravings. García y García, Nova bibliotheca Pompeiana, no. 9709, bibliographic record of publications dedicated to Vesuvian towns. Furchheim, Bibliografia di Pompei, Ercolano e Stabia, p. 1, for the early illustrated archaeological publications. Leopoldo Cicognara, Catalogo ragionato dei libri d'arte e d'antichità, no. 2645, for the great Neapolitan series Le Antichità di Ercolano esposte. Antiquariat Illibrairie, Geneva, commercial description of the Kilian-Murr series, Augsburg 1777–1782, including the first six volumes and the accompanying plates. Antiquariat Werner Steinbeiß, description of the second edition of the series, Augsburg, 1793. Universitätsbibliothek Augsburg, studies on the copper-engraving production and publishing activity of Georg Christoph Kilian in the eighteenth century.