Laplace - Pair of Engravings: Pagoda in Pondicherry & Tomb

Laplace - Pair of Engravings: Pagoda in Pondicherry & Tomb
Included in this lot:

Courtyard of a pagoda in Pondicherry (Cour d'une pagoda a Pondichery). 12
Tomb of a Brahmin woman, burned on her husband's pyre (Tombeau d'une brahmine, brulee sur le bucher de son mari). 13


Description of the work:

This historic engraving is from Cyrille Pierre Theodore Laplace's Voyage Autour du Monde Exécuté, pendant les annees 1830, 1831 et 1832, sur la corvette la favorite... or Voyage around the world by the seas of India and China of the corvette of Her Majesty La Favorite executed during the 1830s, 1831 and 1832 under the command of Mr. Laplace, Commander. The work was published under the direction of M. de Sainson in Paris by Arthus Bertrand between 1833 and 1835. The aquatint engravings are on india paper with a blind stamp in the lower margin.

The work included beautiful views of Reunion Island and Mauritius, Singapore, Manila, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro. The work has been described as "perhaps the finest series of plates to any of the picturesque voyages" (Sabin 38985) and "...sumptuous.... They are some of the most beautiful plates of the kind in existence..." (Borba de Moraes p. 458)

Captain Laplace began is around the world voyage from Toulon on December 30, 1829 aboard the corvette La Favorite. He was commissioned to circumnavigate the globe by the French government. He passed through Gibralter, Goree, Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius, Saint-Louis de la Reunion, Indies, Singapore, Manila, Canton, Indonesia, Sydney, New Zealand, Vaplparaiso Cape Horn, and Rio de Janeiro before returning to Toulon on April 21, 1832.

"In December 1829, Laplace was commissioned to take an expedition to India, the East Indies and South East Asia, and then, if he chose to do so, proceed through the South Pacific. His instructions were to provide protection for French merchant vessels and obtain at each port-of-call information which might be of value to French trade." (Hill)

"From the scientific viewpoint, Laplace’s voyage was one of the most successful. The maps made from surveys in the Pacific and the collections which were assembled became famous during that period." (Borba de Moraes)


Paper Size: ~ 19" by 13"


Paper Type or Special Features: Aquatint Engraving on India Paper

The work is in very good to excellent condition. There may be a few minor imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions. Some of the plates have the blind stamp at the lower edge / margin.