Jan Christiaan Sepp : the book of marble : a representation of marble types, 1776 / Geert-Jan Koot.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sepp, Jan Christian, 1739-1811, author.

Contributor:

Koot, Geert-Jan, writer of added commentary.

Language:

English

French

German

Subjects (All):

Sepp, Jan Christian, 1739-1811. Afbeelding der Marmor Soorten.

Sepp, Jan Christian.

Sepp, Jan Christian, 1739-1811--Criticism and interpretation.

Marble--Pictorial works--Guidebooks.

Marble.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

approximately 300 pages, 47 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), facsimiles ; 32 cm

Edition:

Famous first edtion.

Place of Publication:

Köln : Taschen, [2023]

Language Note:

Texts in English, German and French.

Summary:

An exhaustive compendium of marble, 'Afbeelding der Marmor Soorten (A Representation of Marble Types)' depicted 570 samples across 100 colour plates, accompanied by texts in five languages. Published in 1776 at the peak of the Enlightenment, it is regarded, rightly, as one of the finest illustrated scientific books of the era. Over the course of the 18th century, beautiful books that categorised, annotated, and illuminated the Enlightenment pursuit of learning across Europe had become increasingly popular. Knowledge was everything and everywhere, and these books provided it for those not wealthy enough to build their own personal collections of rare and exotic objects. Marmor Soorten, one such edition, took the standards of both aesthetics and categorisation to a whole new level. Jan Christiaan Sepp and his father Christian--himself a respected collector--had already earned a reputation for luxury publications on scientific themes, starting with Christian's own 'Nederlandsche Insecten (Insects of the Netherlands)'. But it was his son who created the visual masterpiece Marmor Soorten, revising an existing German publication from 1775 by Adam Ludwig Wirsing. The result--published in 11 instalments to a print run of around 100--was among the finest examples of its kind. Featuring new photography to depict the intricate details of the marble samples, this edition brings an unknown treasure back to relevance. The plates, each meticulously hand-coloured and arranged with painstaking precision, have an abstract-art feel that gives this volume an almost modern slant. This edition reproduces the pages from two copies of Marmor Soorten held at the State and University Library in Dresden and the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Reprinting the work in full for the first time, The Book of Marble brings that rare blend of beauty and encyclopedic knowledge to a wider audience.

Notes:

Facsimile edition.

Issued in slipcase.

Limited edition of 10000 numbered copies.

Includes bibliographical references (page 46).

Other Format:

half cloth in slipcase version

ISBN:

9783836594349

383659434X

9783836584500

3836584506

OCLC:

1381892242

Publisher Number:

9783836594349