A Collection of One Hundred and Twenty-Nine Fac-Similes of Scarce and Curious Prints, of The Early Masters of the Italian, German, and Flemish Schools
London: Published for the proprietor; and sold by Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, 1828. First edition. Hardcover. Folio. [6] xxxvi, xxv, plates. Original three-quarter vellum over blue paper-covered boards, with gilt lettering and decorative ruling on brown leather label of spine. Top edge gilt. Peach-colored endpapers. Illustrated half-title. Dedicated to Francis Douce, Esq. F.A.A. Contains a descriptive catalog of 117 plates in this volume. The intaglio impressions are rendered in Niello, others printed to tipped-on tissue paper, or engraved onto the paper.
The catalog includes works in Niello, upon silver (with tissue guards), impressions or casts, from works of Niello, in sulfur, impressions from works in Niello, Anonymous, probably by Baccio Baldini, Alto bello, Benedetto Montagna, Early Schools of Germany and the Low Countries (Le Maitre de L'An 1466), Israel van Mecken, Martin Schongauer, Playing Cards, à la Trappola, Urse Graf, The Hoppers, David, or Daniel Hopper, Jerome Hopper, Lambert Hopper, Joannes Du-Vet, Jacob Binck, Gregory Peins, Augustin Hirschvogel, Hans Sebald Lautensack, Virgilius Solis, and Barnard Zan.
The introduction contains some account of the early use of wood-engraving in Europe, and of the invention of Chalcography: "The Art of Engraving bears nearly the same relation to design and painting, as that of typography does to written language; and the two arts, taken collectively, constitute the chief means by which all human knowledge may be extensively promulgated." (Introduction).
Binding with some wear, small chips along foredges and at upper front cover near spine, rubbed and partially diiscolored. Leather label on spine with light discoloration. Endpapers lightly rubbed. Some light foxing to first few text pages, last pages of catalog, the first print by Maso Finiguerra, sporadic foxing of plates, not affecting images, with few exceptions, and endpapers. Binding in good-, text pages in good+ to very good, prints, with few exceptions in fine condition. Good- to fine condition. Item #54558
Price: $400.00