Hour 12:12 01 Sep 25

Voyage en Perse by Eugène Flandin 

Copy No. 82 of 600 | 1976, London

A Collection of Images Depicting Iran’s Historical and Ancient Heritage
The renowned work Voyage en Perse by Jean‑Baptiste Eugène Napoléon Flandin (1809–1889) is a visual record of Iran in the 19th century, featuring a rich collection of paintings and drawings of monuments, bazaars, local figures and costumes, street scenes, and landscapes.Flandin—a French architect, painter, illustrator, and politician—traveled to Iran between 1840 and 1841, during the reign of Mohammad Shah Qajar, accompanied by architect Pascal Coste. Commissioned by the French Academy of Fine Arts, their mission was to document the ancient and historical monuments of Iran through field reports and detailed visual records.Their journey spanned more than two years and resulted in not only detailed accounts of Iran's antiquities but also the publication of a six-volume series titled Voyage en Perse, released in 1851 in Paris. Flandin had also traveled to the recently rediscovered city of Nineveh in Mesopotamia, which later inspired another significant publication.Following his return to France, Flandin was awarded the Légion d’honneur, the country’s highest honor.During their expedition, Flandin and Coste visited nearly all major historical and archaeological sites across Iran—excluding only Khorasan and the Caspian coast regions. They created detailed sketches and painting of significant architectural monuments and archeological remains along their route, in cities such as Tehran, Qazvin, Isfahan, Shiraz, Kangavar, Hamedan, Tabriz, Bushehr, and Kurdistan. Sadly, many of these sites no longer exist today and have been destroyed over time.In 1976, a special single-volume edition titled Voyage en Perse… Perse Moderne Planches, featuring 100 lithographs, was published by Burness Faridany Limited in London. . Only 600 numbered copies were printed.Copy No. 82 is currently preserved in the collection of Kushk AhmadShahi Museum. Other copies of this rare and valuable publication are housed in Niavaran Royal Library and Sa’dabad Palace Museum.