Basse Egypte. 1 Vue d'une Maison des Environs de Rosette. 2 Vue du Fort d'Abouqyr. by ROSETTA - ARCHITECTURE) Conte (drawn by). Lorieux (engraved by) - Ca. 1820.

Paris.. Ca. 1820.. Copper plate engraving (uncolored), image approx. 19 x 13 inches on sheet approximately 21 x 28 inches. Good to very good condition: dampstain at lower left corner several inches from plate mark, very light foxing to lower image and outer border. Publisher's blindstamp at top right. This elephant folio sized, finely engraved image is plate 83 from the Etat Moderne (Modern State) section of the monumental publication "Description de L'Egypte," which documented the research of the "savants" who accompanied Napoleon Bonaparte's ambitious expedition to Egypt (1798-1801). The full title, translated into English reads "Description of Egypt, or the collection of observations and research made in Egypt during the Expedition of the French Army" hinting at the varied purposes of this foray into the Middle East. The European demand for information about Egypt and its glorious monuments led to the publication of two editions of the work, with engravings pulled from the same printing plates; this is from the second edition, uncolored as issued. Two views of contemporary architecture in Lower Egypt are shown, including a view of a house in the environs of the town of Rosetta, where the Rosetta Stone, later claimed by the British, was discovered by the French. .