"Views in Palestine", after paintings by Luigi Mayer. London: Printed by Thomas Bensley for R. Bowyer, 1804 (prints dated 1803-1804). English and French.

Volume containing 24 hand-painted aquatint prints, inspired by paintings by the artist Luigi (Ludwig) Mayer (1755-1803). Most of the prints show views of Jerusalem and its surrounding areas (view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, view of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Siloam Pool, Tomb of Absalom, Valley of Jehoshaphat, Bethlehem, and more), and various personalities living in these areas. Watermarks appearing on some of the print plates: "J. Whatman 1801".

Luigi Mayer was commissioned to create these paintings by the British diplomat and Orientalist Robert Ainsley (ca. 1730 – 1812) while Ainsley was serving as British ambassador to the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Two other books featuring aquatint prints after paintings by Mayer were published around the time that "Views in Palestine" was first printed, namely "Views in Egypt" and "Views in the Ottoman Empire". In 1804, the three works were merged into a single-volume publication entitled "Views in Egypt, Palestine, and other parts of the Ottoman Empire".

[1] leaf, 47, [1] pages + [24] plates, 46.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Minor blemishes. Binding with leather spine and boards with leather corners. Wear, blemishes, and abrasions to binding.