Address to the Students of the Royal Academy, Delivered Before The General Assembly at The Annual Distribution of Prizes, 10th December, 1823 [SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE] [THOMAS CAMPBELL'S COPY]
London: Printed by W. Clowes, 1824. First edition. Hardcover. Quarto. 20pp. [1]. Rebacked retaining the original spine laid down over full tan calf boards, with gilt ruling to the edges of covers. Gilt-stamped motifs, tooling and lettering to the spine, with black label. Signed and inscribed by Sir Thomas Lawrence in ink, at the top of the title page. This copy belonged to the Scottish poet Thomas Campbell (1777-1844), with his signature in ink at the top of the dedication page. Publication documenting the speech given by Sir Thomas Lawrence, president of the Royal Academy of Arts, to the general assembly (of Royal Academicians) on December 10th 1823. The occasion of the speech was the announcements and distribution of prizes for artistic merit in the annually held Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, first established in 1768.
Thomas Lawrence, best known as being among the leading and most acclaimed English portrait painters of his day, served as the forth president of the Royal Academy of Arts (1820-1830). In this erudite address to the general assembly, he mentions and references a number of figures associated with the Academy, including artist Sir Joshua Reynolds (founder, and first president), architect James Wyatt (third president), architect Sir William Chambers (a founding member), architect George Dance, the younger (RA) and artist Benjamin West (second president), as well as a host of other artistic and literary figures including Michelangelo, Homer, Shakespeare, Alexander Pope, John Milton, Samuel Johnson, Joseph Nollekens, Edmund Burke and David Garrick, to name a few.
Binding rebacked reatining original front and back boards, with some light cracking and minor chipping to the covers. Ex-library copy with bookplate on the interior front cover. Front free endpaper with some more contemporary notes in pencil, including an inscription to a previous owner. Light foxing to front and rear free endpapers. binding in poor, interior in very good condition overall. vg. Item #46024
Price: $2,500.00