May 07, 2014 - Sale 2349

Sale 2349 - Lot 123

Price Realized: $ 5,250
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 8,000 - $ 12,000
(MORGAN COLLECTION, J. PIERPONT.) Williamson, C.G.; compiler. Catalogue of the Collection of Miniatures. 4 volumes. Half-titles and title-pages printed in red and black, 268 aquatint photogravure plates (numbered 1-264, with four "a" numbers), of which 134 are printed in two states, one uncolored and one hand-colored and illuminated, most of the latter with delicate hand-painted decorative borders, the uncolored plates including 4 plates of autograph facsimiles, all with lettered China paper guards; 12 leaves of facsimiles of letters at end of Volume 3, facsimile of the sale catalogue of the cabinet of Jean B. Jacques Augustin (35 pages, 8vo, printed wrappers) tipped onto a guard at end of Volume 4. Large, thick folios, original green crushed levant morocco gilt, covers with two single-fillet borders, decorative gilt corner-pieces, spines gilt-lettered and -decorated, scattered light rubbing, mostly faded to brown, green morocco gilt doublures with central watered silk panels; all edges trimmed and gilt; 5 errata slips and one addenda slip tipped in, brown silk ribbon book marks laid into front covers of Volumes 2-4. ex-collection kenneth rapoport with his bookplates on verso of front endleaves. London: Privately Printed at the Chiswick Press, 1906-08

Additional Details

number 34 of only 40 sets printed on japanese vellum for private circulation only, from a total edition of 190. A beautiful and lavishly produced set which ". . . includes, indeed, some of the finest extant works by the rarest of the early masters... These characteristics will be apparent to the most casual observer, they lie upon the surface; but the importance of the Pierpont Morgan collection is far greater than they alone would confer. As an historical series it will take the highest position"--from the Introduction.