Superb and rare album - Lot 299

Superb and rare album COLSTON (Marianne) Plates illustrative of a Journal of a Tour in the Pyrenees. London, [G. & W.B. Whittaker (lith. de Villain Paris)], 1823. Handwritten title shortened in color from Marianne Colston's original title. In folio: 1f. title (handwritten in 3 tones), 27 lithographed plates by VILAIN and watercolored at the time. Twentieth-century caramel Basane, muted spine, gilt title on upper board, double cold fillet framing boards, small accident at head of spine, slight rubbing. Album only without the two in-8 volumes of text entitled "Journal of a Tour in France during the Years 1819, 1820 & 1821. Paris, Galignani, 1822", of which pages 155 to 231 of volume II contain the Pyrenean section. The very raw green, red and blue tones add a lot of gaiety to these very curious plates, already full of fantasy. The copy offered here contains only the 27 color plates of the Pyrenees section [the album is complete in 50 plates (12 plates for Italy, 11 for the Swiss Alps and 27 for the Pyrenees)]. For our Pyrenees, from Pau to St. Béat, fishermen, boats, pebble pickers, shepherds and ploughmen brighten up the foreground, rocks are superbly squared and piled in cheerful disorder, and our roofs are covered with brick-red slates. List of plates presented: 1/ The Bridge over the Adour at Bayonne - 2/ The Bridge over the Nive & Town of Bayonne - 3/ The Castle of Henry 4th & Town of Pau - 4/ The Cascade of Grip, the principal source of the Adour - 5/ Saint-Sauveur, Hautes Pyrénées - 6/ Bagnères de Bigorre Basses-Pyrénées (sic) - 7/ The Town of Luz, the Castle of Sainte Marie - 8/ Barrèges Hautes Pyrénées - 9/ The Bridge of Scia on the Road of Gavarnie - 10/ The Amphitheatre of Gavarnie (also attached, in addition to the bound plates, a loose leaf of the same plate lithographed in black and not watercolored) - 11/ Pont Gontaut near St Sauveur - 12/ Scene at the foot of the Mountain of Bergons - 13/ Le Pont d'Espagne near Cauterets - 14/ Cauterets Hautes Pyrénées - 15/ The Cascade of Cerizet - 16/ The Castle of Lourdes - 17/Cascade in the Valley of Lis - 18/ Bridge over the Torrent from Lake d'O - 19/ Village of St Aventin - 20/ Castle of Gurran - 21/ Castle & Village of St Beat - 22/ St Beat on the Garonne - 23/ Marignac near St Beat - 24/ Cascade at Lac d'Oo - 25/ Arreau taken from the road to Sarancolin - 26/ Bagnères de Luchon - 27/ Cascade of Montauban.