CARL ALEXANDER CLERCK (1709-1765) Icones Insectorum rariorum cum nominibus eorum trivialibus, locisque e C. Linnaei... syst. nat. allegatis. Stockholm: 1759[-1765]. 2 parts in one volume, 4 (265 x 207mm). Engraved title, section title (?) and 55 fine hand-coloured engraved plates. Near-contemporary Parisian blue morocco gilt by Derome le jeune, covers with decorative fillet and roll-tool border, spine in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in two, the others with repeat overall pattern of interlocking circles, gilt turn-ins, salmon-pink silk liners, g.e., binder's ticket at front (joints slightly split, spine chipped and with 'Tom. II' partiallly erased from third compartment), modern cloth box. A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION OF "ONE OF THE GREATEST RARITIES AMONG ENTOMOLOGICAL BOOKS.. [It] deals with Swedish and tropical butterflies and moths; the illustrations were made from specimens in the Queen Lovisa Ulrika collection.": DSB III, p.320. The first 12 plates (in the first part) are of small relatively unspectacular moths, the remaining 43 are of the larger more showy moths and include some very fine plates of life-size examples of bird-wing moths of the tropical rain-forests of Java, Sumatra and the far east. The present copy is without a third part (of 7 plates only, without text), and has a variant arrangment of plates within parts I and II to that given in the DSB and Nissen. In addition the 'section title' is without text and is therefore presumably a proof. The DSB states that there "are several variants of the Icones , differing mainly in the title page and the separate plates; uncolored as well as partly colored copies exist". The "Tom.II" on the binding is an indication that the work was at some point bound as a set, possibly with Clerck's work on spiders. The work is bound as follows: Engraved title (in Latin, verso blank); 3pp. dedication (Swedish), 1p. imprimatur (Swedish); 4pp. introduction (parallel text in Swedish and Latin); 12 hand-coloured engraved plates. Engraved section title (verso blank); 3pp. dedication (Swedish), 1p. blank; 43 hand-coloured engraved plates; 3pp. index (Latin names only), 1p. blank. BM (NH) I,p.357; Nissen ZBI 915
CARL ALEXANDER CLERCK (1709-1765) Icones Insectorum rariorum cum nominibus eorum trivialibus, locisque e C. Linnaei... syst. nat. allegatis. Stockholm: 1759[-1765]. 2 parts in one volume, 4 (265 x 207mm). Engraved title, section title (?) and 55 fine hand-coloured engraved plates. Near-contemporary Parisian blue morocco gilt by Derome le jeune, covers with decorative fillet and roll-tool border, spine in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in two, the others with repeat overall pattern of interlocking circles, gilt turn-ins, salmon-pink silk liners, g.e., binder's ticket at front (joints slightly split, spine chipped and with 'Tom. II' partiallly erased from third compartment), modern cloth box. A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION OF "ONE OF THE GREATEST RARITIES AMONG ENTOMOLOGICAL BOOKS.. [It] deals with Swedish and tropical butterflies and moths; the illustrations were made from specimens in the Queen Lovisa Ulrika collection.": DSB III, p.320. The first 12 plates (in the first part) are of small relatively unspectacular moths, the remaining 43 are of the larger more showy moths and include some very fine plates of life-size examples of bird-wing moths of the tropical rain-forests of Java, Sumatra and the far east. The present copy is without a third part (of 7 plates only, without text), and has a variant arrangment of plates within parts I and II to that given in the DSB and Nissen. In addition the 'section title' is without text and is therefore presumably a proof. The DSB states that there "are several variants of the Icones , differing mainly in the title page and the separate plates; uncolored as well as partly colored copies exist". The "Tom.II" on the binding is an indication that the work was at some point bound as a set, possibly with Clerck's work on spiders. The work is bound as follows: Engraved title (in Latin, verso blank); 3pp. dedication (Swedish), 1p. imprimatur (Swedish); 4pp. introduction (parallel text in Swedish and Latin); 12 hand-coloured engraved plates. Engraved section title (verso blank); 3pp. dedication (Swedish), 1p. blank; 43 hand-coloured engraved plates; 3pp. index (Latin names only), 1p. blank. BM (NH) I,p.357; Nissen ZBI 915
Try LotSearch and its premium features for 7 days - without any costs!
Be notified automatically about new items in upcoming auctions.
Create an alert