Jefferson's fine arts library his selections for the University of Virginia, together with his own architectural books |
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 | Jefferson's fine arts library |  |
73. Le Roy, Julien David.
LES RUINES / DES PLUS BEAUX / MONUMENTS / DE LA
GRECE: / OUVRAGE DIVISÉ EN DEUX PARTIES, / Où l'on
et dans la seconde, / du côté de l'Architecture. / Par M.
LE ROY, Architecte, ancien Pensionnaire du Roi à Rome, / & de
l'Institut de Bologne. / A PARIS, / Chez / H. L. GUERIN & L. F.
DELATOUR, rue Saint Jacques. / JEAN-LUC NYON, Libraire, quai
des Augustins. / A AMSTERDAM, / JEAN NEAULME, Libraire. /
M. DCC. LVIII. / Avec Approbation et Privilege du Roi.
Folio. Title page ([i]); dedication (iii-iv); preface (v-viii); essay on the
history of civil architecture (ix-xiv); text for Part I, with 28 engraved
plates inserted (1-56); half title for Part II (1 leaf); [new pagination:]
essay on the principles of civil architecture (i-vi); text for Part II, with
38 engraved plates inserted (1-25); table of contents (26-27); notes
(28).
The engravers were Le Bas; Littret de Montigny; de Neufforge; and
Pierre Patte (1723-1814), an architect and engraver (No. 95). The
engravings in Part I are largely pictorial, while in Part II they are
architectural.
Julien David Le Roy (1724-1803) was the son of Julien Le Roy,
horologer du roi, who lived in the Louvre. Julien David won the Rome
prize in architecture in 1751 and after three years in Rome spent an additional
year in Greece.
His Ruines (see Plate LXXI) was his first published work. It had
a quick success in spite of some grave errors, which were corrected in
the second edition of 1770. Le Roy also published Histoire de la disposition
donnée par les chrétiens à leurs temples, 1764, with a German translation
in 1778, and Observations sur les édifices des anciens peuples,
1767.
In order to get to Greece, he communicated "à Rome, le projet &
le plan de mon voyage, à M. l'Abbé de Canillac, Auditeur de Rote &
Commandeur de l'Ordre du Saint Esprit, & à feu M. de la Bruere, chargé
des affaires du Roi en cette Ville" (p. vi). Allowed by them to travel via
Venice to Constantinople, he then had to obtain the permission of the
Grand Seigneur before going on to Greece.
He tells why he divided the work into two parts:
J'ai considéré les Monuments que j'ai recueillis dans la Grece sous deux
points de vue différents, qui forment la division naturelle de cet Ouvrage en
deux Parties; dans la premiere, j'envisage ces Monuments du côté Historique;
dans la second, du côté de l'Architecture; par-la je me procure un double
avantage. Les détails d'Architecture étant séparés de la partie Historique, elle
en deviendra moins languissante; & ces mêmes détails étant rapprochés les
![illustration](https://iiif.lib.virginia.edu/iiif/uva-lib:179729/full/!1600,1600/0/default.jpg")
Plate LXXI. From No. 73. Title page.
comme réunis sous un même point de vue, rendront les comparaisons plus
faciles à faire & à saisir. [P. vii]
His book is one of the earliest to deal with Greek architecture (see
Plate LXXII), having been published before Stuart and Revett (No.
119) began issuing their volumes in 1762. Sowerby notes, however, that
Le Roy was actually in Greece a year later than Stuart and Revett. His
book is also earlier than Major's work on the Greek ruins at Paestum
(No. 76), which did not appear until 1768.
The edition in Jefferson's own library is not certain, but that copy
was sold to Congress. He ordered the book for the University in the
section on "Architecture" of the want list without specifying the edition,
but the copy in the library by 1828 was the 1758 edition. It has not survived,
the copy now on the library's shelves being a recent acquisition,
the gift of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation.
U. Va.
*NA271.L6.1758
M?
Sowerby 4189
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