Beschreibung:

ALKEN, Henry (1784-1851)] and others. [Sporting Prints]. A collection of seven uniformly-bound volumes of sporting plates tipped onto blank leaves beneath window mounts, each volume titled on the spine, comprising: (i) 'Fox Hunting'. 6 hand-coloured aquatint plates with captions beneath. Schwerdt IV, p. 139 ('A beautiful set'). (ii) 'Fox Hunting'. 6 hand-coloured etched plates [?by Henry Alken]. Schwerdt IV, p. 139 ('Most probably by Alken'). (iii) 'Fox Hunting Stag Hunting'. 4 hand-coloured etched plates of fox hunting by and after Williams with captions beneath. Schwerdt III, p. 12. [ With :] 4 hand-coloured lithographic plates of stag hunting with captions beneath. Schwerdt III, p. 12. (iv) 'Riding'. 6 hand-coloured lithographic plates [?by or after H. Alken]. [?]Schwerdt III, p. 12 ('A fine set, probably by or after H. Alken'). (v) 'Sporting Scenes'. 6 hand-coloured aquatint plates. Schwerdt IV, p. 138 ('scarce'). (vi) 'Shooting Incidents'. 4 hand-coloured lithographic plates by G. Davies [?after Samuel Alken], with captions beneath. Schwerdt III, p. 15 ('Probably designed by one of the Alken family, possibly Samuel. Both design and colouring are very good'). [ With :] 6 hand-coloured lithographic plates. Schwerdt III, p. 15. [ And :] 2 hand-coloured lithographic plates. Schwerdt III, p. 14. (vii) 'Coursing'. 2 hand-coloured aquatint plates with captions beneath. [ With :] 2 hand-coloured aquatint plates, published by Hooper and Wigstead, London, 2 May 1797. Schwerdt III, p. 16. [ And :] 2 hand-coloured lithographic plates. Schwerdt III, p. 16 (incorrectly described as chromolithographs). [ And :] 2 hand-coloured lithographic plates. Schwerdt III, p. 16. Together 7 volumes, oblong 8° (136 x 201 (i-v) and 186 x 242mm (vi-vii)). (Some plates with occasional tears, some skilfully-repaired, and small losses.) Uniform half red crushed morocco by Rivière & Son, London, spines titled in gilt, gilt edges. A FINE COLLECTION OF 52 HAND-COLOURED 19TH-CENTURY SPORTING LITHOGRAPHS, ETCHINGS AND AQUATINTS, FINELY BOUND IN 7 VOLUMES, probably from the Schwerdt collection. Examples of all of these prints can be traced in the Schwerdt catalogues mounted on card (some described as 'scarce'), and it seems likely that these engravings (many of which bear traces of previous mounting on the versos), were purchased in the second Schwerdt sale (19 June 1939), remounted in window mounts, and bound up by Rivière & Son shortly afterwards, before the company merged with Bayntun's later in that year. (7)