A handsome copy of an important early work on the Holy Land, with the oft-missing folding woodcuts.
Nicolas Le Huen's adaption of Breydenbach was first published in 1488 in Lyon. Apart from the description of Mount Sinai and St Catherine's monastery, it is not a translation, but rather a superimposition of Le Huen’s own experiences on Breydenbach, using the latter's narrative as a blueprint: the dates and details are all different and the description of the return journey is entirely new.
The text was then reprinted in 1517 for Regnault and again as above in 1522. To this 1517/22 version a second part was added, divided into sections: the first seven concern European endeavour in the Middle East, consisting of pertinent texts culled from different chronicles and sources such as Giovanni Rotta's history of Ismael Shar of Persia. The eighth section contains Cabral's 1500 voyage to Calicut with an account of manners, costume etc. taken from Montalboddo, as is the ninth section which includes four letters: firstly, the announcement of Cabral's discovery of a New Land "terre de papegaulx", secondly the discovery of Labrador by Cortereal, thirdly material concerning J. de Nova's voyage of 1502 and fourthly the treaty signed between the King of Portugal and the ruler of Calicut and the voyage of "de la frote" of 1502-3.
There are two large folding woodcuts, here in good condition, that are often wanting or in facsimile. That of Jerusalem was specially made for the 1517 edition and is an adaption of the Reuwich original, (Reuwich accompanied Breydenbach as artist and was the original publisher). The second shows (on the left) the blessing of the Christian Kings prior to their departure on crusade (with some verses which supply an acrostic giving the authorship to Oronce Fine); displayed on the right is the siege of Jerusalem. Of the smaller cuts, the 6 alphabets are copied from the 1488 Lyon edition and that of the Holy Sepulchre is copied from the Mainz edition of 1488 (ie Reuwich). The remainders are included in the 1522 edition for the first time and are from various sources. The exception is the large cut of Charles Martel, which is retained from 1517.
Bernhard Von Breydenbach was dean of Mainz. His pilgrimage to the Holy land via Venice began in April 1483 and he returned in January of the following year.
Provenance: Nicolas Yemeniz (1783-1871), of Lyon, sale, Paris, 1867; then Ambroise-Firmin Didot (1790-1876), bookseller and bibliographer, sale, Paris, 1883; then William Amhurst Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney (1835-1909), sale, Sotheby, March 1909; later Giannalisa Feltrinelli, sale, Christies, (1995-2001).
