MONTFAUCON, Bernard de (1655--1741)
L'antiquité expliquée, et représentée en figures. ... Par Dom Bernard de Montfaucon ...

(Supplement au livre de l'antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures. ... Par Dom Bernard de Montfaucon ...)
A Paris (Place), chez Florentin Delaulne, Hilaire Foucault, Michel Clousier, Jean-Geoffroy Nyon, Etienne Ganeau, Nicolas Gosselin, et Pierre-François Giffart,, 1719--24.
15 vols ; 39.3 cm. (2º)
I,i: [6], civ, 194 p., engr. port., CXXII [i.e. 125] pl. (bis pl. LXXII, CXXII, unnumbered pl. at p. 24; 9 double-page)
I,ii: [4], 194-452 p., CXXIII-CCXXIV [i.e. 104] pl. (bis pl. CXLV, un-numbered pl. at p. 412; 8 double-page)
II,i: [2], 267, [1] p., CIV pl. (19 double-page) : 1 wdcut. illus.
II,ii: [5], 272-442, *443-*445, 443-472 p., CV-CXCIV [i.e. 90] pl. (l un-numbered at p. 443; 7 double-page, 1 fold.)
III,i: [2], 198 p., CXXI [i.e. 102] pl. (bis pl. XXVI; 15 double-page)
III,ii: [5], 202-390 p., CXXII-CXCVII pl. (16 double-page)
IV,i: [2], 174 p., CXIII [i.e. 116] pl. (bis pl. CVIII [a,b,c]; 43 double-page)
IV,ii: [4], 177--296, 297*--302*, 297-316 p., CXIV--CXLV [i.e. 32] pl. (2 un-numbered pls. at p. 297*, 297; 11 double-page)
V,i: [2], 170 p., CXXXI pl. (10 double-page)
V,ii: [5], 174--437, [1] p., CXXXII--CCIV pl. (2 double-page)
Supplement:
I: xxiv, xxxv, [1], 258 p., LXXXVIII [i.e. 103] pl. (bis pl. II, XVII, XIX, XX, XXII, XXXVI, XXXVII, XXXVIII, XLIV, XLVIII,XLIX, LIII, LIV, LIX, LXVII; 16 double-page)
II: [2], viii, 248 p., LXI [i.e. 77] pl. (bis pl. I, XVI, XXIX, XXXII, [a,b,c]; 17 double-page, 2 fold.)
III: [2], viii, 252 p., LXXXIV [i.e. 95] pl. (bis pl. IV, V, IX, XI [a,b], XXI, L, LXIII, LXIV, LXVII, LXIX; 24 double-page)
IV: [2], vi, 173, [1] p., LX [i.e. 68] pl. (bis pl. V, XI, XII, XIII, XLI, XLVII, XLIX, LI; 28 double-page)
V: [2], vii, [1], 239, [7] p., LXXIII [i.e. 74] pl. (XLII--XLIII as 1 pl., bis pl. II, XII; 20 double-page)

This work had its genesis in Montfaucon's research for a study of early Christian writers, which led him to research the pre-Christian writings alluded to in the texts which ultimately resulted in the present study of the mythology and religion of ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome. Ten volumes were published in 1719 and a five-volume supplement was brought out five years later with the imprint as follows: Paris: chez la veuve Delaune, la veuve Foucault, la veuve Cloisier, Jean-Geoffroy Nyon, Etienne Gannau, Nicolas Gosselin, et Pierre-Francois Giffart, 1724. Among the hundreds of plates in Montfaucon's work are illustrations of the Soane Museum statue of the Ephesian Diana bought at the Earl of Bessborough's sale in 1801 (vol. I, pl. 95, p. 158), and of a bronze lamp with an early Christian monogram acquired by Soane at the Yarnold sale in 1825; this added prestige may have attracted Soane to purchase them. See P. Thornton and H. Dorey, A miscellany of objects from Sir John Soane's Museum (London 1992), figs 3 & 70, pp. 13 & 71.

Copy Notes Volumes I,ii, II,i and especially V,i inscribed with pencil notes in the margins. Volume V,i pl. XCVIII--XCVIX bound after pl. CI.

Binding C18th mottled calf, blind triple-rule borders, gilt-tooled spines, maroon morocco spine-labels.

Reference Number 2818