Large engraving (455 x 888mm.), titled in Arabic beneath, mounted, minor wear along old creases, a few repairs to verso, minor staining

cf. Andreas Magnus Hunglinger, Mekka, die Mutter der Städte der mohammedanischen Religion (Vienna, 1804)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A VERY RARE AND IMPRESSIVE VIEW OF MECCA, THE LARGEST AND MOST DETAILED ENGRAVING PUBLISHED AT THE TIME. This print has been long considered unobtainable, as almost the entire edition was destroyed in a fire in Pera in 1791.

THIS IS THE FIRST APPEARANCE AT AUCTION THAT WE CAN TRACE OF THIS PRINT IN OVER 40 YEARS. OF THE LATER 1💦803 EDITION, ONLY ONE EXAMPLE HAS APPEARED AT AUCTION, sold in these rooms 9 May 2012, lot 155 (£87,650).

This large engraving of Mecca, showing pilgrims from as far as the mountain of Ararat arriving for Hajj, was commissioned by the diplomat Ignace de Mouradja d'Ohsson, who had earlier published a grand account of the Ottoman Empire, Tableau Général de l'Empire Othoman (Paris, 1787-90). This work included a double-page view of Mecca and environs engraved by Berthault af🐭ter L.N. de Lespinasse. In 1791 Mouradja d'Ohsson commissioned the brothers Charles-Nicolas and Joseph Varin in Paris to produce a much larger version (the version present here), just before he returned to the Constantinople. He is reported to have sold copies in Constantinople to Muslim pilgrims, and travellers (cf. Hunglinger [1804], p.VI), but today very few copies are believed to have survived and we have been unable to trace any example of this 1791 engraving in an institutional or private collection. The last person to report having owned an example was the Austrian Andreas Hunglinger, who in 1804 wrote that he had sought in vain to obtain one during his 1798 sojourn in Constantinople, and finally bought one in 1802 from an art agent in Pera who suggested that Hunglinger have it copied.

The copy that Hunglinger made was engraved in Vienna by Carl Ponheimer and published in 1803. Hunglinger claimed that he had the view completely redrawn, whereas a comparison shows that in fact, except for the numbering and key at the foot (which also appear on the smaller 1790 engraving), the changes were minor and even the size remained much the same. An example of Hunglinger's 1803 print was shown during the British Museum exhibition: Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam (26 January to 15 April 2012𒐪) and was featured in the accompanying p💞ublication (pp. 28-9).