EXCEPTIONAL AND EXTREMELY RARE SET OF 48 DRAWINGS RELATING TO BONAPARTE’S EXPEDITION TO EGYPT, some of which were used for the preparation of the plates of the Description de l’Égypte, from the collection of Jean-Joseph Marcel, director of the Imperial Printing Office.

Set of 48 drawings gathered in a green cardboard folder.

25 MOUNTED DRAWINGS ON DOUBLE SHEETS OF STRONG BLUE-GREY PAPER. Each drawing is numbered at the upper right. Drawings measure about 28.5 × 19 cm, with mounts about 39 × 30 cm.

– Bronze statuette of the god Ptah holding the Was-sceptre, front and back. India ink and watercolor with gold highlights. Manuscript annotation on the sheet partially erased, another on the verso: “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, April 9, 1810,” signed by Berthollet, partly illegible. Manuscript caption on a slip mounted on the back. Drawings reproduced in Antiquités, V, plate 72, fig. 1 and 2. Plate numbered 1.

– Stone fragment depicting Isis and her son Horus. India ink and watercolor. Manuscript annotation on the sheet partially erased, another on the verso: “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, April 9, 1810,” signed by Berthollet, partly illegible. Manuscript caption on a slip mounted on the back. Drawing reproduced in Antiquités, V, plate 72, fig. 4. Plate numbered 3.

– Stela representing the god Horus, in two profiles. India ink and watercolor. Manuscript annotation on the sheet, and two on the verso: “Marcel no. 22” and “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, November 14, 1808,” signed by Berthollet. Manuscript caption on a slip mounted on the back. Only the drawing marked “F” was reproduced in Antiquités, V, plate 70, fig. 9. Plate numbered 8.

– Back of a coffin fragment. India ink and watercolor. Manuscript annotation on the sheet, and two on the verso: “Marcel no. 26” and “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, November 14, 1808,” signed by Berthollet. Manuscript caption on a slip mounted on the back. The drawing was reproduced on a reduced scale in Antiquités, V, plate 70, fig. 17. Plate numbered 10.

– Coffin fragments. India ink and watercolor. Manuscript annotation on the sheet, and two on the verso: “Marcel no. 24” and “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, November 14, 1808,” signed by Berthollet. Manuscript caption on a slip mounted on the back. Only the drawing marked “G” was reproduced in Antiquités, V, plate 70, fig. 18. Plate numbered 11.

– Bronze statuette of an ichneumon mongoose, four views. India ink and watercolor. Manuscript annotation on the sheet partially erased, another on the verso: “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, April 9, 1810,” signed by Berthollet, partly illegible. Manuscript caption on a slip mounted on the back. Only drawing no. 1 is reproduced in Antiquités, V, plate 72, fig. 7. Plate numbered 14.

– Bust of Isis in serpentine, two profiles. India ink and watercolor. Manuscript annotation on the sheet partially erased, and two on the verso: “Marcel no. 29” and “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, April 9, 1810,” signed by Berthollet. Manuscript caption on a slip mounted on the back. Only drawing no. 2 is reproduced in Antiquités, V, plate 72, fig. 9. Plate numbered 17.

– Bust of Isis in serpentine, front and back. India ink and watercolor. Manuscript annotation on the sheet partially erased, and two on the verso: “Marcel no. 28” and “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, April 9, 1810,” signed by Berthollet. Manuscript caption on a slip mounted on the back. Only drawing no. 1 is reproduced in Antiquités, V, plate 72, fig. 10. Plate numbered 18.

– Bronze figurine with a cat’s head, four views. India ink and watercolor. Manuscript annotation on the sheet partially erased, another on the verso: “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, April 9, 1810,” signed by Berthollet, partly illegible. Drawing appears to be mounted on printed paper. Manuscript caption on a slip mounted on the back. Only drawing no. 1 is reproduced in Antiquités, V, plate 72, fig. 8. Plate numbered 20.

– Bronze figurine of a bull, four views. India ink and watercolor. Manuscript annotation on the sheet partially erased, another on the verso: “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, April 9, 1810,” signed by Berthollet, partly illegible. Despite this approval, the engraving shows modifications compared with the drawing. Drawing appears to be mounted on printed paper. Manuscript caption on a slip mounted on the back. Only drawing no. 3 is reproduced in Antiquités, V, plate 72, fig. 15. Plate numbered 21.

– Backs of coffin fragments. India ink and watercolor. Manuscript annotations on the sheet and two on the verso: “Marcel no. 25” and “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, November 24, 1808,” signed by Berthollet. The drawings were not reproduced, but are related to plate no. 11 in Antiquités, V, plate 70, fig. 18. Plate numbered 23.

– Bust fragment, two profiles. India ink and watercolor. Not reproduced in the Description de l’Égypte. Plate numbered 24.

– Bust fragment, front and profile. India ink and watercolor. Not reproduced in the Description de l’Égypte. Plate numbered 25.

– Bust fragment, front and profile. India ink and watercolor. Not reproduced in the Description de l’Égypte. Plate numbered 26.

– Bust fragment, profile and back detail, front and profile. India ink and watercolor. Not reproduced in the Description de l’Égypte. Plate numbered 27.

– Ushabti, front and back. India ink and watercolor. Not reproduced in the Description de l’Égypte. Plate numbered 28.

– Ushabti, two profiles. India ink and watercolor. Not reproduced in the Description de l’Égypte. Plate numbered 29.

– Human-headed bird. India ink and watercolor. Manuscript annotation on the verso: “Approved for engraving, examined by the commission, April 9, 1810,” signed by Berthollet, partly illegible. Only the drawing at upper left is reproduced in Antiquités, V, plate 72, fig. 13. Plate numbered 30.

– Bronze statue of Isis nursing Horus, front and back. India ink and watercolor. Drawings not selected by the commission. Another statue of Isis nursing, shown frontally, appears in the Description de l’Égypte (Antiquités, V, plate 71, fig. 13). Plate numbered 31.

– Bronze statue of Isis nursing Horus, two profiles. India ink and watercolor. Drawings not selected by the commission. Another statue of Isis nursing, shown in profile, appears in the Description de l’Égypte (Antiquités, V, plate 71, fig. 12). Plate numbered 32.

– Necklaces and earrings. India ink and watercolor. Not reproduced in the Description de l’Égypte. Plate numbered 33.

– Agricultural tools. India ink and watercolor. Not reproduced in the Description de l’Égypte. Plate numbered 34.

– Three plates on the study of watermelon growth. India ink and watercolor. Not reproduced in the Description de l’Égypte. Plates numbered 36, 37, 38. Accompanied by a manuscript note concerning these drawings.

12 PENCIL DRAWINGS.

Each drawing numbered at the upper right.

– Bronze statue of Isis nursing Horus, front and back. Pencil on laid paper, numbered 30. 31 × 20.7 cm. Preparatory drawing for plate no. 30.

– Hieroglyphs representing a reed and a bee. Black pencil on laid paper, numbered 31. 14.3 × 19.9 cm.

– Hieroglyph of a bird. Black pencil on laid paper, numbered 32. 18.5 × 20.3 cm. Manuscript annotation on the verso: “M. Lefranc, July 30, 1807.”

– Sphinx. Black pencil on laid paper, numbered 33. 19.5 × 35.5 cm.

– Standing man with sceptre and crown. Black pencil on laid paper, numbered 34. 31.1 × 21.4 cm.

– Female profile. Black pencil on laid paper, numbered 35. 33.2 × 22.8 cm.

– Man holding a tool. Black pencil on blue laid paper, numbered 36. 23.2 × 31.3 cm. Manuscript annotation on the verso: “M. Lefranc, April 4, 1806.”

– Man holding a tool. Pencil, ink and wash on laid paper, numbered 37. 37.7 × 25.3 cm. More finished version of preparatory drawing no. 36.

– Fragment of a papyrus manuscript in hieroglyphic characters. Pencil, ink, watercolor and wash on laid paper, numbered 38. 38.6 × 25.6 cm. Drawing reproducing a detail of a hieroglyphic papyrus manuscript found at Thebes, published in Antiquités, II, plate 73.

– Architectural details. Watercolor and India ink on laid paper, numbered 39. 33.8 × 20.9 cm.

– Watermelon plant. Pencil on laid paper, numbered 40. 14.3 × 18.3 cm. Preparatory drawing for plate no. 37. Manuscript annotation: “Drawn on 20 Floréal, year X.”

– Flower. Watercolor on laid paper, numbered 41. 25 × 19.5 cm.

11 DRAWINGS ON TRACING PAPER, one mounted on paper. Pencil on tracing paper. About 34.5 × 27 cm, 9 × 21.3 cm for the mounted one, and 16 × 21.3 cm for the smallest tracing. Representations of various ancient figures, mainly Egyptian. Most are copies of figures from Bernard de Montfaucon’s L’Antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures, vol. 2, part II, published in 1719, entitled La religion des Égyptiens, des Arabes, des Syriens, des Perses, des Scythes, des Germains, des Gaulois, des Espagnols, & des Carthaginois.

A REMARKABLE COLLECTION WITH 12 APPROVALS FOR ENGRAVING FOR THE DESCRIPTION DE L’ÉGYPTE, SIGNED BY BERTHOLLET.

In 1802, the Consular decree of 17 Pluviôse year X (February 6, 1802) stipulated that “the memoirs, plans, drawings and generally all results relating to the sciences and the arts obtained during the Egyptian expedition shall be published at the expense of the government.” A few months later, the decree of 1 Floréal year X (April 21, 1802) created the Commission in charge of directing the work on Egypt, composed of eight members, including Claude-Louis Berthollet, president of the Publication Commission from 1802 to 1822, Nicolas-Jacques Conté, government commissioner general, and Michel-Ange Lancret, secretary of the Commission.

The survival of “approvals for engraving” in private hands is extremely rare. Since the work was published at government expense, the majority of drawings and working documents are today preserved in the National Archives and the Bibliothèque nationale.

An exceptionally rare set of drawings for the Description de l’Égypte coming from the personal collection of Jean-Joseph Marcel, director of the Imperial Printing Office.

A Scientific and Editorial Achievement

In 1798, when General Bonaparte crossed the Mediterranean to set foot on the African continent, his objective was twofold. On the one hand, it was a military expedition: the Egyptian campaign aimed primarily to block Britain’s route to India. On the other, it was a scientific mission: seeing himself as a modern-day Alexander the Great, Bonaparte sought to elevate the status of his undertaking. He therefore embarked with him 167 scientists and artists, members of the newly formed Commission of Sciences and Arts, among them Vivant Denon, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, and Gaspard Monge. All disciplines were represented—architects, chemists, physicians, naturalists, draughtsmen, sculptors, and more. Their mission was to study the country with the greatest rigor and breadth possible.

During the campaign, thousands of drawings, surveys, and measurements were taken, documenting both ancient and modern monuments, as well as the fauna and flora. The harvest of information was immense and unprecedented, and the idea of a great book on Egypt soon emerged. The publishing enterprise would span nearly thirty years. The presses produced the Description de l’Égypte, a monumental work in some twenty volumes with nearly 900 plates. Though the Egyptian campaign was a military failure, the expedition was an undeniable scientific success—the culmination of the Enlightenment.

Jean-Joseph Marcel

Among the scholars, Bonaparte sought a polyglot who could serve both as interpreter and translator of the propaganda texts that were to be published during the expedition. Louis-Mathieu Langlès, first director of the École spéciale des langues orientales, showed little enthusiasm for the invitation. Bonaparte ultimately chose a very young orientalist, Jean-Joseph Marcel, on Langlès’s recommendation.

Initially interpreter, Marcel was soon appointed director of the Cairo printing press. At the same time, he carried out extensive research in archaeology, literature, and oriental history. When, in 1799, the Rosetta Stone—the first trilingual inscription—was discovered, the question of its reproduction quickly arose. The idea of copying the signs by hand was abandoned for reasons of time and accuracy. Three reproduction techniques were considered, including one devised by Jean-Joseph Marcel. Known as autography, it consisted of gently cleaning the stone, leaving water in the engraved characters, then covering it with ink and pressing paper onto it. The characters, which did not retain the ink, appeared white on a black background, in reverse of the stela. Marcel attempted in vain to decipher the stone himself; it would be left to Champollion, relying on these reproductions, to finally unlock the mystery of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

In 1803, Marcel was entrusted with the directorship of the Imprimerie nationale (later the Imprimerie impériale), charged with printing the Description de l’Égypte. He proposed the idea of a luxurious edition of this “great work on Egypt” and significantly expanded the press’s resources, enriching it with punches, typefaces, and fifty new presses.

Included is a facsimile of a text on the Canopus gold plate, with a reproduction of the plate on gold‑coloured paper, and a manuscript copy of the text and plate on tracing paper.

Provenance :

Jean-Joseph Marcel

Bibliography :

Belin, Notice nécrologique et littéraire sur M. Jean-Joseph Marcel. 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).