Presuhn, Émile
Les décorations murales de Pompéi; with Choix des plus belles et intéressantes peintures de Pompéi
1878, Leipzig, T.O. Weigel
First Edition
This magnificent volume represent one of the most important 19th-century archaeological documentations of Pompeii’s wall paintings. Émile Presuhn, a German archaeologist who lived in Italy for eight years, worked with local artists to produce exact chromolithographic copies of frescoes that in many cases have since been lost or severely deteriorated. Published by Weigel in Leipzig between 1878 and 1882, and printed by Ramboz et Schuchardt in Geneva, the work was conceived expressly for artists, industrial schools, and students of antiquity, as stated in its subtitle. The plates illustrate the full range of the four Pompeian decorative styles, from restrained geometric schemes (including the celebrated grottesche) to complex architectural fantasies populated with mythological figures, capturing both artistic quality and archaeological context.
The volume comprises two works, illustrated with a total of 63 chromolithographic plates, and 2 maps. The first 24 (printed in 1878) reproduce complete decorative schemes from various Pompeian houses, while the remaining 39 (printed in 1882) focus on detailed fresco elements. Executed with remarkable fidelity to the originals, these plates document mythological scenes, architectural motifs, ornamental borders, and domestic wall decorations (some of which very recognizable and well-known nowadays), giving the book exceptional documentary and artistic value as a visual record of Pompeian painting. The 2 maps at the end of the volume represent teh floor map of a Domus Pompeiana (typical villa), and the map of the area of Colonia Veneria Cornelia.
Plates preserving what time has erased, Roman wall paintings now vanished. This volume turns archaeology into an emotional act - discovery inseparable from loss - and it becomes a form of rescue. Scholarly rigor and melancholic care are matched by a quiet beauty.
Pp. [1] f.e., 51; 65 leaves of plates (63 chromolithographic plates, 1 floormap, 1 map)
Original publisher red cloth binding with gilt title and decorative tooling, professionally restored at the first quire and outer front hinge to reinforce structural stability and prevent future damage. Rubbing at the corners; some wear to the spine. Endpapers in fine quality paper. The table des matières is partially detached at the spine. All plates are protected by original tissue guards. The last two plates are notably smaller in format (shorter in height) and are printed full-page rather than within a frame, unlike the others. Some light foxing, but overall the plates are fresh and in very good condition.
Dimensions (inches): 12 3/4 x 9 1/4 x 1 1/4
Émile Presuhn (1844-1881), German archaeologist who spent eight years in Italy documenting Pompeii's treasures before his untimely death at 37. Geremia Discanno (1839-1907) was an Italian artist and painter who worked in Naples and Pompeii.
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