Cassas, Louis-François 1756-1827

The French painter and architect Louis-François Cassas travelled to Asia Minor (Turkey), Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Cyprus 1784 to 1787 to make drawings of ancient monuments, scenes of daily life, and local costume. Prints after Cassas' drawings were published in three volumes in Paris between 1799 and 1800.

From the description of Materials for Voyage pittoresque de la Syrie, de la Phoenicie, de la Palaestine, et de la Basse Aegypte, 1795-1823. (Getty Research Institute). WorldCat record id: 84944459

Biographical/Historical Note

The French painter and architect Louis François Cassas (1756-1827) was a member of the retinue of the French ambassador to the Ottoman court, Count Marie Gabriel August de Choiseul-Gouffier. Commissioned by the ambassador, he travelled from 1784 to 1787 to Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Cyprus, and Asia Minor and drew ancient sites, many of which had never before been recorded. An earlier commission in 1782 was for a series of views of the Istrian and Dalmatian coast. These drawings were reproduced in engraving in his book Voyage pittoresque et historique de l'Istrie et de la Damatie (Paris, 1802). Cassas returned to Paris in 1792. After the Revolution he became drawing professor at the Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory, where he remained until his death.

From the guide to the Louis François Cassas Materials for Voyage pittoresque de la Syrie, de la Phoénicie, de la Palaestine, et la Basse Aegypte, 1795-1823, (Getty Research Institute)