Louis François CASSAS (Azay-le-Ferron 1756 - Versailles... Lot 49

Louis François CASSAS (Azay-le-Ferron 1756 - Versailles 1827) Portion of the great gallery at Palmyra (ancient Syria) Temple of Neptune at Palmyra Mausoleum near Palmyra Tomb near Palmyra Four drawings on a single mount, including four views of Palmyra. Watercolor, pen and brown ink over black pencil on paper mounted on canvas. Varnished watercolor, epidermal marks, stains and paper detachment on one of them (lower left), slightly insolate, foxing. Mounting 50.5 x 78 cm Paper strip added on the right edge (2 x 23.8 cm), on one of them (bottom right). Old labels on reverse. 23.8 x 37.4 cm the drawing In 1784, Cassas accompanied the comte de Choiseul-Gouffier, appointed ambassador to Constantinople, and visited Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Cyprus and Asia Minor. He drew numerous sites, which were engraved and published in Voyage pittoresque de la Syrie, de la Phénicie Phénicie, de la Palestine et de la basse Egypte, Paris, 1799, 3 volumes, with 30 issues of plates. An engraving of one of our drawings, by Letellier, is preserved in the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal in Paris (see A. Gilet and U. Westfehling, Louis François Cassas, dessinateur voyageur, exhibition catalog, November 19, 1994-January 30, 1995, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours, Ed. Philipp von Zabern, p. 153, fig. 84, repr.), as well as other very similar views of Palmyra Palmyra (p. 163, fig. 88, preserved at Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours inv.AF58-1.2. and p. 157, under no. 88)