Inside the book

The book, in letter form, carries a Dutch privilege granted to publisher Henry van Bulderen by the States of Holland and West-Friesland, funnily protecting his exclusive rights for 15 years and penalizing counterfeit editions (see the 3 engravings sold in the lot!). The letters first describe travels through Holland, The Hague, Rotterdam, Delft, and Amsterdam, blending historical remarks, civic description, and personal observation. Entering Germany, the author records Bavarian landscapes near Munich and the Alps, with details of chalets, cheese-making, and mountain hospitality.
Crossing the Tyrol into Italy, he depicts dramatic geography and the dangers of brigands, requiring armed escorts. Arrival in Verona brings sharp observations of city life and landscape. The engravings are a highlight, balancing antiquarian detail with ethnographic curiosity. They include a full-page plate of a German woman in mourning dress, accompanied by commentary on police regulations governing attire by religion and social rank, and a large folding plate of Roman antiquities, vases, lamps, ritual implements, arms, and ornaments, numbered with a French legend, one of the book’s most striking antiquarian features. Later letters describe Italy in greater depth, including Venice and the Rialto Bridge, with architectural commentary and measurements that combine firsthand observation with antiquarian interest. As part of the Grand Tour genre, the work appealed to European elites and is notable for its cosmopolitan blend of Dutch, English, and Italian perspectives. Earlier editions were slimmer, but this third edition is significantly expanded with more text and illustrations. Written in French, printed in The Hague, and dedicated to an Anglo-Irish noble, it reflects the international circulation of travel literature at the close of the 17th century. The epistolary format made it more engaging and intimate than conventional travelogues.

The three engravings sold in this lot are more difficult to date with certainty: they could be contemporary with the book, or produced later to avoid penalties for counterfeiting. It is also possible that both the book’s plates and these loose engravings derive from a third source, perhaps another travel book. In fact, it was not uncommon for engravers and publishers to reproduce well-known views without the effort of reinventing the subject. To a trained eye, the hand here appears simpler and less refined than the book's one: certain small details are missing, and the shading is flatter. These features suggest a derivative intent, a more economical copy intended to emulate the original - whichever it was.