Copies after the 'Livre contenant passement de moresques' (plate 1)

Modern album containing 19 etchings with moresque designs after an original series by the French artist Jacques Androuet Du Cerceau. The series was first published by Du Cerceau around 1545, and is also known to have been published by Martinus Petrus in Antwerp in 1563, who added a title page to his edition. Despite the apparent popularity of the series, it is now very rare. Only one complete set is known to exist, and was sold at the sale of Hippolyte Destailleur in 1895.The present whereabouts of this set are unknown. The prints in the present album may have been created as a facsimile series during the nineteenth century to accommodate collectors who desired to assemble a comprehensive collection of prints by Du Cerceau. The copies differ from the originals in certain details, especially in the hatchings, which have been applied in reverse and appear slightly mechanical. All prints have been mounted onto the pages of the album, but a window has been cut into the paper to leave the versos exposed.