LOT DETAILS

Materials:

435 hand-colored, etched and aquatint plates on J. Whatman and J. Whatman Turkey Mill paper

Size Notes:

broadsheets; to 97.5 x 63.2 cm

Description:

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Markings:

Engraved title-page in each volume; with watermarks dated 1827-1838 (see Appendix B for watermarks on the individual sheets in this set).

Condition:

Full contemporary English crimson morocco, richly gilt, covers paneled a wide decorative roll-tooled outer border surrounding a central panel, a stylized scallop piece built up of tools at each outer corner of central panel, spines in 9 compartments with 8 double-raised bands, 2 with onlaid green morocco lettering pieces, others with a repeated richly gilt panel, board edges and turn-ins elaborately gilt, paper pastedowns and free endpapers, blank flyleaves watermarked "J. Whatman 1838," stamp-signed "J. Mackenzie" on free endpapers of plate volumes; plate volumes in leather buckram over wooden board folding boxes. A fine copy in excellent condition, with fresh, vibrant colors. Minor defects include: occasional finger-soiling; occasional pale show-through from offset of succeeding plates; a few plates with moderate surface bloom or bloom-spots; light discoloration, foxing or spotting; the larger plates with a few instances of plate numbers, part numbers and parts of captions being obscured by the binding, shaved or cropped; a few creases, some extending beyond the platemark; minor tears, most repaired, chiefly marginal, a few extending within the platemark.

Provenance:

Presumably purchased sometime after 1838 as a bound complete set, by William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland PC, FRS, FSA (24 June 1768 - 27 March 1854), styled Marquess of Titchfield until 1809. He was a British politician who served in various positions in the governments of George Canning and Lord Goderich. Portland was the eldest son of Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland and Lady Dorothy, daughter of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire and Charlotte Boyle, Baroness Clifford. He was the elder brother of Lord William Bentinck and Lord Charles Bentinck. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford.