“THE FOUNDING FATHER OF EGYPTOLOGY”: CHAMPOLLION’S DEFENSE OF HIS SYSTEM OF HIEROGLYPHIC DECIPHERMENT, 1826 FIRST EDITION

CHAMPOLLION, Jean-François. Lettre à M. le duc de Blacas d’Aulps… sur le Nouveau Système Hiéroglyphique de MM. Spohn et Seyffarth. Florence: Piatti, 1826. Together, four offprints. Large octavo, original printed paper self-wrappers, original stitching, uncut and partially unopened; pp. 23. Housed together with three other offprints in custom cloth chemises and half morocco clamshell box. $1800.

First edition of Champollion’s spirited defense of his own phonetically based system of hieroglyphic translation, in original wrappers. Together with three offprints by his elder brother Jacques-Joseph Champollion-Figeac, also an Egyptologist.

“A French classical scholar and archaeologist, responsible for deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics,” Champollion is “celebrated as the founding father of Egyptology… [His] thesis on the ‘hieroglyphic, figurative, ideographic and alphabetic’ systems of ancient Egypt… caused a sensation, providing the long-searched-for solution to the translation of Egyptian hieroglyphics… [In 1831], a professorship in Egyptian history and archaeology was specially created for him. Champollion died suddenly on March 4, 1832, in the midst of writing his great Egyptian grammar and dictionary. This was published by his brother after his death” (BBC). In this Lettre, Champollion bluntly criticizes Seyffarth’s Rudimenta hieroglyphices and Spohn’s researches, discrediting their claims to have achieved a system of translation. Champollion recounts the main points published in his Précis du Système Hiéroglyphique (Paris, 1824), which contains the general application of his system of decipherment and its proof. Champollion’s Lettre is here offered with three offprints by his elder brother Jacques-Joseph Champollion-Figeac, who worked closely with his brother and continued his work after his death: 1. Notice sur un Papyrus Grec, offprint from Bulletin Universel des Sciences et de l’Industrie, June 1824; pp. 12, folded as issued, uncut. 2. Scarabées. Systèm Numérique, offprint from Bulletin Universel des Sciences et de l’Industrie, May 1825; pp. 8, folded as issued, uncut and unopened. 3. Notice sur un Sacrophage Royal nouvellement découvert en Egypt, et transporté de Thèbes à Paris, offprint from Moniteur, July 25, 1833; pp. 8, folded as issued, uncut and unopened. Text in French. “Champollion” written in pencil on front wrapper of his Lettre.

Neat repair to lower corner of front wrapper of the Lettre. An intriguing and quite scarce collection in fine condition.