[iii], 35, [3] index, [1] ad. pp. Double-page etched frontispiece, 3 engraved large plates, 2 smaller plates, 66 full-page etched plates. [Bound with and preceded by:] Piranesi, Francesco. Monumenti degli Scipioni. Rome, 1785. [ii], 24 + III pp. 6 etched plates, vignette at end of text. (Folio) 20½x14¾, 19th century half calf, marbled boards, spine stamped and lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges yellow. First Editions.
Edward Henry Scott's copy, with his bookplate on front pastedown. Piranesi's masterful work, printed in Italian, English and French, shows splendid plates of ornate chimney-pieces embellished with elements from Egyptian and Classical antiquity - sphinxes, mummies, hieroglyphs, chariots, Roman emperors in profile, Romulus and Remus, etc. Rococco timepieces, urns, sideboards, candelabras and other decorative furnishings are also pictured. The work by Piranesi's son shows the tomb of Scipio, which had recently been excavated. Hind, p. 86.
Condition:
Covers rubbed, top corners abraded and worn; tiny repair to frontispiece, light foxing and occasional marginal damage, otherwise near fine.