1791 Bocage Plan of the Temple of Theseus and the Parthenon, Ancient Greece

ParthenonTempleTheseus-bocage-1791
$175.00
Plan du Temple de Thesee.  Elevation de la Façade du Parthenon.  Vue du Parthenon. - Main View
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1791 Bocage Plan of the Temple of Theseus and the Parthenon, Ancient Greece

ParthenonTempleTheseus-bocage-1791

$175.00

Title


Plan du Temple de Thesee. Elevation de la Façade du Parthenon. Vue du Parthenon.
  1791 (undated)     9.5 x 7 in (24.13 x 17.78 cm)

Description


This is a fascinating example of the 1791 Bocage plan featuring the Temple of Theseus (Temple of Hephaestus or Hephaisteion), the elevation of the Parthenon, and a view of the Parthenon. The Temple of Hephaestus, located in the Agora of Athens, is considered the world's best-preserved ancient Greek temple. In the 18th century the Hephaisteion was believed to be a temple dedicated to Thesues (as noted in this map) and the resting place of the mythical hero Theseus. However the inscriptions inside the temple later reveaed that it was in fact the Temple of Hephaestus. The Parthenon widely considered the highest expression of Doric architecture, also featured here, is dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena. Prepared by M. Barbie de Bocage in 1791 to illustrate the Travels of Anacharsis.

Anacharsis was a Scythian philosopher who travelled from his homeland on the northern shores of the Black Sea to Athens in the early 6th century BCe. Apparently he made a great impression on the Greeks, who considered him a forthright, outspoken 'barbarian. He is considered a forerunner of the Cynics.

Cartographer


Jean Denis Barbie du Bocage (1760 - 1825) and his son Jean-Guillaume Barbie du Bocage (1795 - 1848) were French cartographers and cosmographers active in Paris during late 18th and early 19th centuries. The elder Barbie du Bocage, Jean Denis, was trained as a cartographer and engraver in the workshops of mapmaking legend J. B. B. d'Anville. At some point Jean Denis held the post of Royal Librarian of France and it was through is associations with d'Anville that the d'Anville collection of nearly 9000 maps was acquired by French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The younger Barbie du Bocage, Jean-Guillaume, acquired a position shortly afterwards at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, in time, became its head, with the title of Geographe du Ministere des Affaires Etrangeres. More by this mapmaker...

Source


Barbie du Bocage, J. D., Recueil de Cartes Geographiques Plans, Vues, et Medailles de l'Ancienne Grece, Reelatifs au Voyage du Jeune Anacharsis., (Paris, Chez Sanson et Compagnie), 1791.    

Condition


Very good. Original platemark visible. Blank on verso. Dark clean impression.