1823-1834 Portraits of Illustrious Personages of Great Britain

Description

First Edition, Illustrated, Leather Binding

The first edition of this work, bound from the original parts, published between 1823 and 1834.

These portraits were praised by Sir Walter Scott as 'a collection which at once satisfies the imagination and the understanding, showing us how the most distinguished of our ancestors looked, moved and dressed, and how they thought, acted, lived, and died'.

Illustrated with two-hundred and forty portrait plate on India proof paper, with twenty plates per volume. Collated, complete.

The portraits present within these volumes are from such revered artists as Holbein, Rubens, Vandyke, Lely and Kneller. 

With biographical sketches accompanying each figure, with portraits of such individuals as King Henry VIII, Sir Walter Scott, Sir Nicholas Carew, Francis Bacon, Catharine Parr, Robert Dudley, James Butler, Lord Paget, Francis Drake, Lady Jane and many more.

Pagination continued: 7, 6, 8, 9; 7, 10, 9, 9, 9, 6, 9, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 11, 6, 19, 7, 8, 6, 6; 5, 7, 10, 17, 5, 13, 11, 12, 13, 12, 11, 25, 9, 13, 5, 15, 5, 9, 13, 9; 8, 8, 8, 11, 10, 11, 7, 8, 18, 6, 7, 9, 9, 11, 7, 12, 6, 14, 6, 7; 14, 13, 7, 11, 12, 9, 15, 7, 9, 6, 11, 10, 17, 7, 7, 17, 8, 7, 8, 8; 10, 10, 4, 19, 15, 10, 7, 9, 16, 9, 11, 7, 5, 7, 10, 9, 7, 8, 7; 8, 9, 10, 8, 13, 6, 8, 21, 7, 13, 6, 9, 8, 8, 8, 8, 17, 7, 3; 13, 4, 8, 9, 8, 10, 5, 9, 12, 10, 16, 10, 9, 10, 7, 9, 9, 11, 9, 8, 6; 7, 4, 14, 7, 12, 6, 11, 7, 14, 10, 10, 11, 8, 10, 10, 8, 12, 10 19pp

In signed bindings by W. Nutt.

An exceptionally lovely set.