Art, Architecture & Photography / Drawings, Prints & Watercolours

BOISSARD, Jean Jacques. Theatrum vitae humanae ...
Metz, printed by Abraham Faber for Theodor de Bry in Frankfurt am Main, 1596. 4to. With the title set in an elaborate engraved frame of ornaments and illustrations representing the four stages of human life (birth, marriage, active life, and death) with short bible verses below, a half-page engraved portrait of the author (on leaf é2r in the preliminaries), and 60 half-page engraved emblems in the text, engraved by Theodor de Bry. Further with numerous woodcut decorated initials, head- and tail-pieces throughout. 17th-century vellum. [1], [1 blank], [14], 266 pp. Full description

BOSSE, Abraham. Differentes manieres de dessiner et peindre.
[Paris, Abraham Bosse, engraved 1667?]. 8vo (17.5 x 12 cm). With engraved allegorical title-print and 45 full-page and 1 double-page (ca. 16.5 x 15 cm) engraved plates.
With:
(2) FARINATI, Paulo. Diverses figures a l'eau forte de petits amours, anges vollants, et enfans, propre a mettre sur frontons portes et autres lieux ensemble plusieurs sortes de masques.
Paris, Abraham Bosse, engraved 1644. Suite of 30 numbered double-page engraved prints, including the engraved title-print signed by Abraham Bosse.
(3) [BOSSE Abraham]. [Illustrations of drawing and painting].
[Paris, Abraham Bosse, engraved 1667?]. Suite of 4 full-page engravings of a draftsman (2) and a painter (2) at work, sometimes regarded as part of the Differentes manieres de dessiner et peindre.
(4) BOSSE, Abraham. Le feu ... La terre ... L[']eau ... L[']air.
[Paris, Abraham Bosse, engraved 1630?]. Suite of 4 double-page engravings of the four elements.
(5) [BULLET, Pierre]. [Plates from Traité du nivellement].
[Paris, N. Langlois, engraved 1688]. Complete suite of 11 double-page engraved plates, numbered [1a], [1b], 2-4, 6-11. Sprinkled calf (ca. 1700), richly gold-tooled spine, gold-tooled board edges. [47]; 30; [4]; [4]; 11 [+ 2 added] engraved prints. Full description

[BOTANICAL MANUSCRIPT - FRIAR LUC DAVID]. [Drop title:] Traite des plantes universelles par figures au naturel par le frere Luc david Recollet, chirrugien oculiste ...
[France], 1742. Large folio (ca. 45 x 28 cm). With 423 botanical drawings in bright watercolour. Manuscript with French text (including Latin names of the depicted plants), written in an 18th-century cursive hand. Most leaves contain a "Strasbourg bend" watermark: a fleur-de-lis above a shield with a diagonal band and the countermark "L Laroche" (identical to Heawood 65, but erroneously listed by him as "I Laroche", date: 1718-1721). The French papermaker Léonard Laroche (1646-1721) was active in the French province of Angoumois (now Charente) in the period 1673-1721.
Contemporary vellum, later endpapers. [2], 423, [1 blank], [19] ll. Full description

[BOTANY - DRAWING]. [Various flowers. (On verso): a sketch of a grape branch with grapes and leaves].
[Netherlands, 17th century]. Drawings (48.8 x 28.9-29.2 cm). Black chalk drawings, occasionally heightened with white chalk, including some light brown watercolours, on grey 17th-century handmade paper without watermark. In manuscript 'Martagon' in brown ink. In lower right corner in manuscript the number "3" in ink. Framed. Full description

BOUCHER, François. Receuil de fontaines inventées par ...
With: Second livre de fontaines inventées par ...
Paris, Gabriel Huquier, [1736]. 2 parts in 1 volume. Royal 4to (32 x 24 cm). With 2 series of 7 finely etched and engraved plates of water fountains, including 2 title-prints, the first series with only the names of the artist François Boucher and publisher Gabriel Huquier, the second also with the name of its engraver Pierre(-Alexandre?) Aveline. 19th-century gold-tooled dark mottled sheepskin, gilt edges. 7, 7 engraved ll. Full description

[DRAWING]. BRANDS, Eugène. [Two manuscript invitations for an exhibition opening, each including an original drawing in colour].
[Amsterdam, 1948]. Each 14.7 x 11 cm. Pen-and-ink drawings; one with blue watercolour and the other with blue and yellow watercolour. 2 pp. Full description

BRIL, Matthaeus. Topographia variarum regionum, inventa à Mathaeo Bril, aeri incisa à Simone Frisio. Ab C.J. Visscherio excusa.
[Amsterdam], Claes Jansz. Visscher, 1651. Oblong 8vo. Engraved title-print, and 24 engraved topographic views numbered 1-25 (11 x 16 cm; plate size 10 x 15.5 cm). Half green cloth (1840s?), green paper sides made from waste paper with a mirror image letterpress text (showing through from the underside or offset?), difficult to read but probably in French, with a heading in fat-face roman capitals, plain paper label with manuscript title in ink on front board. 25 engraved ll. Full description

[BRITISH ARMOUR - TOWER OF LONDON - DUTCH MANUSCRIPT]. Beschrijving van de paarden wapenzaal in de Tower te London.
[The Netherlands, second quarter of the 19th century]. Ca. 21.5 x 17 cm. With 12 large, colourful ink drawings of knights on horseback, depicting various British kings and nobles, and a smaller ink drawing of knights in battle on the title-page. Contemporary green paper, over brown cloth, with a calligraphed title on the front in a baroque style floral frame, and a drawing of a knight on horseback on the back board within the same floral frame, blue speckled edges. [1], [1 blank], 105 pp. Full description

BRUNNER, Elise. [Botanical and pomological drawings].
[Bern?], 1847-1848. Oblong 4to. Album with 25 botanical and pomological pencil drawings in various sizes, all coloured with gouache, apparently by the artist, and mostly signed by Elise Brunner. All these drawings are mounted on the album leaves of various colours. Also inserted is a black and white sketch in pencil signed by an unknown female artist "Marie Blau fec.". 19th-century half dark red morocco with lighter red morocco sides, gold-tooled spine. [61] album ll., 18 of the first 21 containing 25 colour drawings and 1 pencil sketch. Full description

BRUUN, Johan Jacob. Novus atlas Daniae eller Prospecter af alle hoved-og kiöbstaederne, af alle kongelige slotte, samt andre kongelige lyst-slotte og staeder udi begge konge-rigerne Dannemark og Norge og underliggende fyrstendömme. Iste tome af Siaelland.
Copenhagen, Johan Jacob Bruun, 1761[-ca. 1789?]. Oblong folio (26.5 x 40 cm), preliminaries upright folio, bound with foot folded in. With 60 engraved views, including one folding plate with a view of the Royal Castle near Copenhagen, engraved by Jonas Haas and Hans Quist after designs by Johan Jacob Bruun. Contemporary Danish mottled sheepskin, richly gold-tooled spine. [8] pp. text. Full description