Bernard de Montfaucon - L'Antiquité Expliquée et Représentée en Figures

Bernard de Montfaucon (January 13, 1655, France - December 21, 1741) was a Benedictine monk and scholar in France. He is considered to be a founder of modern archeology. He published an edition of the writings of St. Athanasius in 1698 and a catalog of Greek manuscripts, Paleographia Graeca,: Sive, de Ortu Et Progressu Literarum Graecarum, in 1708.

His big achievement though was an extensive catalog of ancient Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan and Roman artifacts, sculptures and art, L'Antiquite Expliquee et Representee en Figures, in the year 1719. This was a massive 10 volume work. It alone contains 1120 plates and was a pictorial encyclopedia of gods, heros, everyday life, domestic customs, religious customs, and military actions of the ancient world. An English edition, Antiquity Explained and Represented in Figures, reduced to 5 volumes was published in 1721.

He followed this monumental work with an almost equally huge history of France, Monuments de la Monarchie Française, which appeared in 5 volumes between 1729 and 1733.

After the conclusion of this work and its enthusiastic reception (the entire edition of 1800 copies was sold out in two months) The regent, Philippe d'Orléans, wished that he become a member of Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, and he was elected in 1719.

It remained the book to go to for information on the ancient world into the nineteenth century.

Individual prints from the books on Ebay.
You can search for a copy at Abebooks.com. Use the search terms "L'Antiquite Expliquee, et Representee en Figures ," or " Bernard de Montfaucon." The fifteen volume set will cost between 15 and 30 thousand dollars,

Abrahami Trommii Concordantiae Graecae versionis vulgo dictae LXX Interpretum

Paleographia Graeca,: Sive, de Ortu Et Progressu Literarum Graecarum

Supplement 5 on the web: Montfaucon, Bernard de, L'antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures / Antiquitas explenatiore et schematibus illustrata (Supplement 5): Les funerailles / De funeribus. - Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg

More on the web from the Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg.


Dessins de sculpteurs : Tome 1, Troisièmes Rencontres Internationales du Salon du Dessin