THE TOMBS AT THEBES: ELEPHANT FOLIO LIMITED FIRST EDITION OF THE ROBB DE PEYSTER TYTUS MEMORIAL SERIES, WITH OVER 180 PLATES FEATURING ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TOMBS, ART, AND ARTIFACTS

(EGYPT) DAVIES, Norman de Garis. Robb de Peyster Tytus Memorial Series. Volume I: The Tomb of Nakht at Thebes. Volume II: The Tomb of Puyemre at Thebes. Part I: The Hall of Memories. Volumes III: The Tomb of Puyemre at Thebes. Part II: The Chapels of Hope. Volume IV: The Tomb of the Two Sculptors at Thebes. Volume V: The Ramesside Tombs at Thebes. New York: (The Metropolitan Museum of Art), 1917-27. Five volumes. Elephant folio (15 by 20 inches), modern half brown morocco, top edges gilt, uncut. Housed in a custom slipcase. $12,000.

Limited first edition of this catalogue of the tombs at Thebes published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1917-27, one of 500 atlas folio sets beautifully printed on handmade Van Gelder paper, with five frontispieces (four in color), 178 plates (21 in color), and numerous figures. A magnificent uncut set.

Published between 1917 and 1927, this set was published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to shed light on the magnificent artistic treasures of the tombs at Thebes. In over 180 folio plates, 25 of which are in color and many of which are folding, statues, paintings, treasures, and the interior plans of the tombs themselves are reproduced in loving detail. Norman de Garis Davies worked on numerous digs in Egypt (including with Petrie at Dendera and with the Egypt Explorations Fund’s Archaeological Survey) before being appointed head of the graphics section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s expedition to Egypt in 1907. Along with his wife Nina and his assistant Francis Unwin, Davies pioneered the used of egg tempera when recording the paintings from tombs, allowing for much more accurate and satisfying results in comparison to watercolors, which, although they rendered the color with a flat finish, were the standard way of recording tomb paintings before the advent of reliable color photography. Bookplates. The Tomb of Two Sculptors with stamp of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; laid into the same volume is a note presenting the volume to to Dr. G.J. Peisner at “The Pyramids, Cairo, Egypt,” “at the request of Mrs. Edward J. Tytus,” who funded the expedition in memory of her son.

A stunning production in fine condition.