Almanach

1786 · ABC_48085 — Berlin 1786. 24mo 10.7 x 6.2 cm. George Jacques Decker Contemporary German embroidered binding: ivory silk over boards sides purled with blackened silver threat a double row of silver sequins enclosing on the front cover the embroidered year "1787" within a wreath of silver thread hanging on an embroidered knot and on the back cover a basket with colored flowers also hanging on a knot spine ornamented with silver thread gilt edges. With an engraved portrait of Princess Frederique of Prussia by C. Tounley after Cuningham dated 1786 as a frontispiece. This is printed on one double-leaf with the engraved title page. Further with a folding engraved map 13 x 18.2 cm by D.F. Soltzmann after C.L. Oesfeld 1785 showing the projected Kiel Canal 12 numbered etchings illustrating the 12 months of the calendar by Daniel Chodowiecki. Text of all pages printed within a frame with small corner pieces. 240 pp. Rare almanac for 1787 from a series of Berlin almanacs that appeared under various titles from 1769 to 1813. The almanacs could be acquired with etched plates illustrating the 12 months by the greatest German book illustrator of the 18th century Daniel Chodowiecki. He was director of the Berlin Academy of Art and worked for the Berlin Genealogischer Kalender or Almanac Généalogique from 1770 until his death in 1801 as well as for other almanac publishers. Chodowiecki was given free rein to choose the subjects of the 12 plates always in the calendar section of the annual almanacs. He often chose popular plays; in the present work his 12 illustrations depict scenes from the play Die Jäger Chasseurs by the German actor and playwright August Wilhelm Iffland 1759-1814 published in 1785. The subject of each illustration is explained in a 7-page "Explication des estampes". Also included is an engraved portrait of the young Princess Frederique Charlotte Ulrique Catharine of Prussia 1767-1820 who would become Duchess of York and Albany through her marriage to Prince Frederick King George’s second son in 1791. The folding map depicts the projected route of what is today known as the Kiel canal completed in 1784 which joints the North Sea to the Baltic.The binding shows signs of wear some sequins are lost the silk is somewhat soiled Some sequins lost silk soiled occasional slight foxing and staining with a tear along the gutter of the map. Otherwise in good condition.l Cf. Lanckoronska & Oehler Die Buchillustration des XVIII. Jhts. II pp. 92-93. hardcover