22 volumes, comprising 9 text volumes in-folio (39.5 × 25.9 cm) and one large in-folio volume (70.9 × 52.7 cm), and 11 plates volumes in large in-folio (69.7 × 52.8 cm) and one in-plano volume (110 × 70.4 cm).

Straight grain half red morocco with corners, smooth spine decorated with gilt tools (contemporary binding, c. 1830). In-plano plates volume in a modern binding in the style of the others. Large in-folio text volume in blue cardboard (contemporary binding)

The set is preserved in a modern-period oak-veneered cabinet with sloping top (114 × 100 × 66 cm).

Collation :

Introduction : [1] f., xcii, 8 p. (historical preface and notice)

Texts volumes : Antiquités, Descriptions, t. I : [2] ff., 60, 28, 20, 26, 38, 8, 26, 18, 448, 22, 16 p., [1]f. ; Antiquités, Descriptions, t. II : [2] ff., 70, 36, 24, 16, 20, 44, 79, 51, 98, 4, 22, 18, 24, 18, 12, 10, 95, 63,12, 2 p. ; Antiquités, Mémoires, t. I : [2] ff., 1-786 p., X ff., 787-826 p. ; Antiquités, Mémoires, t. II : [2] ff., 238 p. ; État Moderne, t. I : [2] ff., 1018 p. ; État Moderne, t. II : [2] ff., 736 p., [8] ff., 2, 2 p., [2] ff., 3, 3 p., [3] ff., 2, 2, 2 p., [1] f., 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 2 p., [2] ff., 3, 2, 2p, [1] f, 4 p., [2] ff. ; État Moderne, t. II (2e partie) : [2] ff., 848 p. ; Histoire Naturelle, t. I : [2] ff., 350, [2], 58, 128, 339 p. ; Histoire Naturelle, t. II : [2] ff., 752 p.

Plates volumes : Antiquités, t. I : [3], 4, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3, 1 ff. ; Antiquités, t. II : [3], 4, 4, [1], 6, 6 ff. ; Antiquités, t. III : [3], 2, 8, [1] ff. ; Antiquités, t. IV : [4], 6, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2 ff. ; Antiquités, t. V : [3], 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 3, [1], 4, 5 ff. ; État Moderne, t. I : [3] ff. ; État Moderne, t. II : [3] ff. ; Histoire Naturelle, t. I : [3] ff. ; Histoire Naturelle, t. II : [2] ff. ; Histoire Naturelle, t. II bis : [2] ff. ; Atlas : [1] f. ; In-plano volume : [1] f.

FIRST EDITION, planned to 1,000 copies.

A monumental work, extensively illustrated

937 copper‑engraved plates hors texte, of which 41 are hand‑colored à la poupée and/or enhanced in watercolor or gouache, and occasionally with gum arabic.

Text volumes : 34 PLATES HORS TEXTE including 4 portraits (Monge, Berthollet, Conté et Lancret), distributed as follows: 1 in Antiquités, Descriptions, vol. II; 3 in Antiquités, Mémoires, vol. I; 22 in Antiquités, Mémoires, vol. II; 1 in État Moderne, vol. II; 5 in État Moderne, vol. II (2nd part); 2 in Histoire Naturelle, vol. II.

Plates volumes : 903 PLATES distributed in 12 volumes, including 10 with duplicate plates.

Antiquités I–V: 411 plates, including 27 in color and one map. Plates 79 of Antiquités I and 19 and 20 of Antiquités IV exist in duplicates states. Plate 87 is present only in its second state.

État Moderne I–II: 170 black-and-white plates, including one map.

Histoire Naturelle I–II, IIbis: 244 plates, including 14 in color.

Cartes topographiques: 53 plates, of which 50 are double.

The in-plano volume contains 25 plates belonging to the other volumes, including 20 from the Antiquités volumes, 2 from the État Moderne volumes, and 3 from the Atlas volume.

42 PLATES ORIGINATE FROM A REPRINT FROM THE SAME COPPERPLATES MADE FOR THE SECOND EDITION, of which 8 bear the handwritten approval signed by Panckoucke (Pls. 15, 16, 24, 32, 72, 83, 92, and 93) and 34 carry the dry stamp (an obelisk on a sphinx) characteristic of the second edition plates. These plates replace the plates of the first edition, except for 5 plates in double or triple: Pl. 30 (in triple) and Pl. 34 (in double) of the Antiquités I plates volume, and the Canevas trigonométrique and Produit de la machine à graver plates, present both in the Antiquités I plates volume (second edition) and in the État Moderne, vol. II (2nd part) text volume (first edition).

In addition, there are 5 duplicate plates from the first edition present in the dedicated plates volumes and the in-plano volume: Pl. 60 of the Antiquités II plates volume, Pl. 61 of the État Moderne I plates volume, and Flle 1, 2, and 3 of the Atlas. The collation and number of plates correspond to those of André Monglond and Brunet.

AN UNPRECEDENTED WORK

A Scientific Epic

From the outset, Bonaparte conceived the French expedition to Egypt as not only a military conquest but also a scientific endeavor. Inspired by the voyages of Cook, Bougainville, and La Pérouse, Bonaparte envisioned something greater: not merely studying the territory, but exporting science and the “spirit of the Enlightenment” to the other side of the Mediterranean. Thus, in May 1798, at the time of embarkation, 167 scholars—members of the newly founded Commission of Sciences and Arts—set sail for Egypt. This commission, composed of scientists and artists, encompassed every discipline: engineers, architects, mathematicians, astronomers, naturalists, painters, chemists, and more.

In August 1798, less than a month after his arrival on the banks of the Nile, Bonaparte founded the Institut d’Égypte, whose main objective was “the progress and dissemination of knowledge in Egypt.” Its members were tasked with conducting field research in order to obtain the most comprehensive study possible of the country’s physical, industrial, and historical realities.

A Monumental Publishing Enterprise

The idea of a collective work gathering all this knowledge emerged within the first months. In 1799, General Kléber laid out the main objective: “To collect in order to disseminate instruction, and to help raise a literary monument worthy of the French name.” The publication of a great work on Egypt became increasingly urgent, as many scholars had begun to publish their research individually. On February 6, 1802, a decree of the First Consul ordered that “the memoirs, plans, drawings, and in general all results relating to science and the arts obtained during the Egyptian expedition shall be published at the expense of the Government.”

Thus began an extraordinary publishing venture that would last thirty years. The ambitions surrounding the Description de l’Égypte were monumental—not only in scale, allowing medals, papyrus, and the Rosetta Stone to be reproduced at actual size, but also in scope, requiring the labor of 300 of the best Parisian engravers. One of the greatest achievements of French publishing would not be accomplished without difficulty. Supervised by a commission of eight members, the publication was beset by divergent opinions, jealousies, and the technical difficulties inherent in such a vast undertaking. Yet it also sparked many inventions and improvements, notably the machine devised by Nicolas-Jacques Conté, then in charge of the publication, which allowed rapid printing of backgrounds, skies, and architectural masses—reducing to days the work of engraving that would otherwise have taken months.

At the Origins of Egyptomania

A predominant place was given to Antiquity in the Description de l’Égypte, reflecting the fascination of the period’s scholars for an era still largely unknown. Despite the colossal work, the publication was not without flaws. In the texts, and despite scientific intent, a mythologized vision of Egypt persisted. The inability to decipher hieroglyphs further complicated the task. In the plates, while Islamic monuments were reproduced with remarkable fidelity and precision, this was not always the case for representations of ancient works. Nevertheless, the project was unprecedented: the Description de l’Égypte was the ultimate achievement of the Enlightenment. Its success sparked a wave of Egyptomania across the West.

Through its monumental scope and ambition to study Egypt in the closest possible detail, the work transformed a military defeat into a scientific triumph. “We have gathered the materials for the finest work that a nation could ever undertake […] Yes, my friend, it will come to pass that the work of the Commission of Arts will excuse, in the eyes of posterity, the levity with which our nation, so to speak, hurled itself into the Orient,” wrote Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire.

An exceptional copy with Panckoucke's "Bon à tirer" proofs

Despite its scientific success, the Description de l’Égypte was not a commercial one. Its considerable purchase price was the main reason. In addition, many copies were presented as gifts to important dignitaries and institutions who could have afforded the work. It was therefore decided to publish a second, more manageable and affordable edition. The Parisian publisher C.L.F. Panckoucke was authorized to print this new, small-format edition.

Published concurrently, this second edition was also limited to 1,000 copies. The plates were printed from the original copper plates, which were already showing signs of wear at the time of the first edition and were subsequently retouched. To differentiate it from the imperial edition, all illustrations were printed in black, except for a single colored plate offered by Panckoucke to subscribers. The commission, through the government’s representative, exercised oversight of the publication of this second edition by stamping each plate with a dry seal.

The present copy includes, most unusually, eight state proofs for the second edition, marked with Panckoucke’s bon pour modèle (“approved for printing”), which are in all likelihood the only surviving bon à tirer still in private hands. These plates are contained in the first volume devoted to Antiquités, replacing those of the first edition.

Binding slighlty worn, several headcaps and joints repaired, corners bumped, binding of the introduction volume worn with missing spine, light to heavy foxing on some leaves, depending on the volume, some dampstains and tears on text and plates leaves, including one large tear on a leaf. Plate 87 of Antiquités, I, first state, is missing.

Bibliography :

Brunet, 616-617. Monglond, t. VIII, 268-343. En français dans le texte, 219. Solè, Bonaparte à la conquête de l’Égypte, 2006. Grinevald, Jomard et la Description de l’Égypte in Sabix, n° 4 (online). Grinevald, Un monument éditorial : la description de l’Égypte in Napoleonica, n° 48 (online). Garel-Grislin, La Description de l'Égypte, BNF (online).