Iranian Cultural History Eugène Flandin Voyage en Perse Perse Moderne Plates Depicting Cities, Monuments and Landscapes of Qajar Persia

Eugène Flandin Iran

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Flandin, Eugène. Voyage en Perse… Perse Moderne Planches documents the architecture, cities, and landscapes of nineteenth century Iran through the drawings produced during a French archaeological and artistic expedition to the region in 1840. French artist Eugène Flandin traveled to Iran with architect Pascal Coste as part of a diplomatic mission supported by the Académie des Beaux Arts in Paris. During two years of travel across western and southern Iran the expedition produced extensive drawings of monuments, urban centers, and archaeological sites associated with the Qajar period. These images later formed the basis of Perse Moderne, one of the most significant illustrated records of nineteenth century Iran produced by European artists.

Flandin, Eugène. Voyage en Perse… Perse Moderne Planches. London: Burness Faridany Limited, 1976. Limited facsimile edition issued to commemorate the centennial of Flandin’s death. Elephant folio measuring approximately 17 x 24 inches. The volume contains one hundred tinted lithographic plates reproducing the illustrations from the original nineteenth century publication. The plates depict architectural monuments and landscapes including royal mosques and palaces, the city and ports of Tehran, the ruins of Persepolis, the tomb of Saadi, and other locations recorded during Flandin’s expedition.

The original Perse Moderne was published in 1854 as part of a large multi volume series documenting the results of Flandin and Coste’s travels through Iran. The expedition provided one of the earliest systematic visual surveys of Persian architecture and urban landscapes available to European scholars and artists. Flandin’s drawings preserved detailed views of monuments and settlements during the Qajar period and have been widely cited by historians of Persian art and architecture as a major documentary source for nineteenth century Iran. The 1976 edition reproduces these images in a limited printing of six hundred copies, allowing modern readers access to the visual material of a work that is otherwise difficult to obtain in its original form. One elephant folio volume with one hundred tinted lithographic plates housed in the original box. Minor handling wear to the box while the volume and plates remain well preserved. Overall condition very good.

Item #14580

Price: $1,400.00