THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN LEAR, EDWARD. Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots: the greater part of them species hitherto unfigured. London: Published by E. Lear [1830-] 1832. Folio, 547 x 373mm. (21 1/2 x 14 1/2 in.), contemporary half red straight-grained morocco, smooth spine gilt, five pictorial lithographed front wrappers from the original parts preserved as follows: parts 9 and 2 inset to upper and lower covers within double gilt rule border, parts 1 and 11 mounted as pastedown endpapers, part 8 front wrapper bound in as front free endpaper and the plain lower wrapper as lower free endpaper (both badly creased and tearing slightly), parts 1 and 2 of a different design from the others, all part numbers and dates to parts 1 and 2 (1 November and 1 December 1830) inscribed on the wrappers in ink; re-hinged, extremities and spine abraded with leather loss, joints weak, some minor staining and soiling to covers, light discoloration to lower margin of pl. 31 . FIRST EDITION, title, dedication to the Queen, list of subscribers, list of plates at end (one leaf each), 42 hand-colored lithographed plates, all but one signed by Lear, printed by Charles Hullmandel. At the age of eighteen Lear began preparation of the Parrots , his only separately published ornithological work, with a series of pen-and-wash drawings taken principally from specimens in the Regent's Park Zoological Gardens. Because Lear only disposed of a limited quantity of the costly lithographic stones, he was obliged to rub down each stone after the printing was finished in order to reuse it. He had originally intended the work to include all the known species of parrots and to be published in 14 parts, but publication was suspended after the twelfth part, probably because of the excessive printing costs. Lear himself supervised every aspect of the production of the plates, including the final coloring, executed in opaque watercolors highlighted with egg-white for the eyes and the glossy areas of the feathers. The project was innovative on several counts: as the first ornithological work to be devoted to a single bird family, the first great illustrated folio-sized bird monograph--allowing most of the birds to be shown in actual size, one per plate--and the first English bird book of this size to be illustrated with lithographs (it was preceded only by Swainson's octavo Zoological Illustrations , published in 1820-33). In format and style, as well as in the method of publication by subscription and the choice of printer, Lear's work served as a model for John Gould who was to bring the production of similar if less artistically accomplished works to assembly-line perfection. Copies preserving any of the original wrappers are rare. Ayer/Zimmer, pp. 380-81; Copenhagen/Anker 283; Fine Bird Books , p. 87; C.E. Jackson, Bird Illustrators: Some Artists in Early Lithography (London 1975), pp. 32-38; McGill/Wood, p. 429; Nissen IVB 536; Ray, England 90. Provenance : W. H. Ince, pencil inscription on title-page.
THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN LEAR, EDWARD. Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots: the greater part of them species hitherto unfigured. London: Published by E. Lear [1830-] 1832. Folio, 547 x 373mm. (21 1/2 x 14 1/2 in.), contemporary half red straight-grained morocco, smooth spine gilt, five pictorial lithographed front wrappers from the original parts preserved as follows: parts 9 and 2 inset to upper and lower covers within double gilt rule border, parts 1 and 11 mounted as pastedown endpapers, part 8 front wrapper bound in as front free endpaper and the plain lower wrapper as lower free endpaper (both badly creased and tearing slightly), parts 1 and 2 of a different design from the others, all part numbers and dates to parts 1 and 2 (1 November and 1 December 1830) inscribed on the wrappers in ink; re-hinged, extremities and spine abraded with leather loss, joints weak, some minor staining and soiling to covers, light discoloration to lower margin of pl. 31 . FIRST EDITION, title, dedication to the Queen, list of subscribers, list of plates at end (one leaf each), 42 hand-colored lithographed plates, all but one signed by Lear, printed by Charles Hullmandel. At the age of eighteen Lear began preparation of the Parrots , his only separately published ornithological work, with a series of pen-and-wash drawings taken principally from specimens in the Regent's Park Zoological Gardens. Because Lear only disposed of a limited quantity of the costly lithographic stones, he was obliged to rub down each stone after the printing was finished in order to reuse it. He had originally intended the work to include all the known species of parrots and to be published in 14 parts, but publication was suspended after the twelfth part, probably because of the excessive printing costs. Lear himself supervised every aspect of the production of the plates, including the final coloring, executed in opaque watercolors highlighted with egg-white for the eyes and the glossy areas of the feathers. The project was innovative on several counts: as the first ornithological work to be devoted to a single bird family, the first great illustrated folio-sized bird monograph--allowing most of the birds to be shown in actual size, one per plate--and the first English bird book of this size to be illustrated with lithographs (it was preceded only by Swainson's octavo Zoological Illustrations , published in 1820-33). In format and style, as well as in the method of publication by subscription and the choice of printer, Lear's work served as a model for John Gould who was to bring the production of similar if less artistically accomplished works to assembly-line perfection. Copies preserving any of the original wrappers are rare. Ayer/Zimmer, pp. 380-81; Copenhagen/Anker 283; Fine Bird Books , p. 87; C.E. Jackson, Bird Illustrators: Some Artists in Early Lithography (London 1975), pp. 32-38; McGill/Wood, p. 429; Nissen IVB 536; Ray, England 90. Provenance : W. H. Ince, pencil inscription on title-page.
Try LotSearch and its premium features for 7 days - without any costs!
Be notified automatically about new items in upcoming auctions.
Create an alert
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
