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SIR JOHN CHARDIN, The Travels of Sir John Chardin into Persia and the East-Indies: Through the Black-Sea, and the Country of Colchis, London: Moses Pitt in Duke-Street Westminster, 1686

2 parts in one volume
xiv, 264, 331-417, blank, [8], [2], 154, [5] pages; complete with the frontispiece portrait of the author, a folding engraved map of the Black Sea and surrounding countries; and 16 plates, 11 of which are folding, along with a couple of engravings in the text.
Original publisher's boards with fresh spine
32.5 x 21 x 5 cm

Jean Chardin, also known as Sir John Chardin, was a French explorer and jeweller who travelled widely in the Near and Middle East, as well as India, in the 17th century. In 1665, at a young age, he accompanied a merchant from Lyon to Persia to sell jewellery and adornments to the king. On subsequent visits, he toured the region extensively, and ventured beyond - as indicated by the title of the present lot. Chardin was also a keen student of the Persian language and culture.

Chardin published several volumes narrating his voyages and encounters, originally in French. The present lot comprises an English translation of the first part of his travels. It includes a folding, engraved map of the Black Sea and surrounding countries, as well as 16 fine engraved plates depicting cities including Tbilisi in Georgia, Yerevan in Armenia, Kashan in Iraq and many more.