HAMILTON, William, Sir (1730-1803) -- Pierre François HUGUES, 'Baron D'HANCARVILLE' (1719-1805). Collection of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman Antiquities from the Cabinet of the Honble. Wm. Hamilton . Naples: François Morelli [for Hamilton], '1766-1767' [but 1767-1770]. Volumes I-II (of 4), 2° (479 x 369mm). Text in English and French. Hand-coloured engraved English and French titles, 3 engraved dedications [2 in volume II], 2 by Carmine Pignatari and Antoine Cardon after Giuseppe Bracci 220 engraved plates by F. de Grado and Pignatari, 74 hand-coloured, 20 hand-coloured and double-page, one double-page and folding. Engraved head- and tailpieces and initials, by Cardon, de Grado, C. Nolli, and Pignatari after E. Beaulieu and Bracci. (Variable light spotting and offsetting onto text, a few plates affected by light mildewing, 2 titles and 3 plates creased.) Contemporary half calf over green vellum, spines gilt, yellow edges (dampstained, covers warped, hinges partially split, corners and spine ends worn causing losses). Provenance : Brynkinalt Library (early engraved bookplates). FIRST EDITION of this 'ouvrage précieux, exécuté avec beaucoup de luxe' (Brunet), describing the collection of ancient vases assembled by Hamilton after his appointment to the court of Naples in 1764. Pierre François Hugues, an authority on ancient art, had introduced Hamilton to the Porcinari family, the owners of a large collection of ancient classical vases which Hamilton bought and expanded, and then sold to the British Museum in 1772. Before their shipment to England, all the objects were listed, drawn and described under the supervision of the brilliant but unscrupulous 'baron.' The first two volumes of the catalogue were issued in 1767-70, but publication was then interrupted by Hugues's expulsion from Naples -- apparently for debt -- and Hamilton had to overcome the difficulty of finding his plates in the hands of creditors. Although Blackmer states that the edition was of 500 copies, it appears that only 100 copies of the two later volumes were issued (cf. I. Jenkins and K. Sloan Vases & Volcanoes , 1996, p. 49), and this, together with the nine-year gap in publication, would explain the relatively high number of incomplete sets. Blackmer 845; Cohen-de Ricci 474; Berlin Kat. 890. (2)
HAMILTON, William, Sir (1730-1803) -- Pierre François HUGUES, 'Baron D'HANCARVILLE' (1719-1805). Collection of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman Antiquities from the Cabinet of the Honble. Wm. Hamilton . Naples: François Morelli [for Hamilton], '1766-1767' [but 1767-1770]. Volumes I-II (of 4), 2° (479 x 369mm). Text in English and French. Hand-coloured engraved English and French titles, 3 engraved dedications [2 in volume II], 2 by Carmine Pignatari and Antoine Cardon after Giuseppe Bracci 220 engraved plates by F. de Grado and Pignatari, 74 hand-coloured, 20 hand-coloured and double-page, one double-page and folding. Engraved head- and tailpieces and initials, by Cardon, de Grado, C. Nolli, and Pignatari after E. Beaulieu and Bracci. (Variable light spotting and offsetting onto text, a few plates affected by light mildewing, 2 titles and 3 plates creased.) Contemporary half calf over green vellum, spines gilt, yellow edges (dampstained, covers warped, hinges partially split, corners and spine ends worn causing losses). Provenance : Brynkinalt Library (early engraved bookplates). FIRST EDITION of this 'ouvrage précieux, exécuté avec beaucoup de luxe' (Brunet), describing the collection of ancient vases assembled by Hamilton after his appointment to the court of Naples in 1764. Pierre François Hugues, an authority on ancient art, had introduced Hamilton to the Porcinari family, the owners of a large collection of ancient classical vases which Hamilton bought and expanded, and then sold to the British Museum in 1772. Before their shipment to England, all the objects were listed, drawn and described under the supervision of the brilliant but unscrupulous 'baron.' The first two volumes of the catalogue were issued in 1767-70, but publication was then interrupted by Hugues's expulsion from Naples -- apparently for debt -- and Hamilton had to overcome the difficulty of finding his plates in the hands of creditors. Although Blackmer states that the edition was of 500 copies, it appears that only 100 copies of the two later volumes were issued (cf. I. Jenkins and K. Sloan Vases & Volcanoes , 1996, p. 49), and this, together with the nine-year gap in publication, would explain the relatively high number of incomplete sets. Blackmer 845; Cohen-de Ricci 474; Berlin Kat. 890. (2)
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
