BLAKE, William (1757-1827), illustrator – YOUNG, Edward (1683-1765) - photo 1
BLAKE, William (1757-1827), illustrator – YOUNG, Edward (1683-1765) - photo 2
BLAKE, William (1757-1827), illustrator – YOUNG, Edward (1683-1765) - photo 3
BLAKE, William (1757-1827), illustrator – YOUNG, Edward (1683-1765) - photo 4

BLAKE, William (1757-1827), illustrator – YOUNG, Edward (1683-1765)

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£ 2 772
Auction dateClassic
21.10.2022 10:30UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
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ID 829430
Lot 81 | BLAKE, William (1757-1827), illustrator – YOUNG, Edward (1683-1765)
BLAKE, William (1757-1827), illustrator – YOUNG, Edward (1683-1765)

The Complaint, and The Consolation; or, Night Thoughts. London: R. Noble for R. Edwards, 1797.

First illustrated edition of Young’s poetry, with etched and engraved titles and borders throughout by Blake. Young wrote The Complaint, and The Consolation or Night Thoughts in the 1740s, and when this illustrated edition was published by Richard Edwards his poetry was still extraordinarily popular, whereas Blake was a 38 year-old engraver known to only a few. Although Blake set out to illustrate all nine of the ‘Nights,’ and completed 537 watercolour designs in less than two years, this volume, containing the first four parts of the poem with 43 of his designs, was the only one to appear. The present copy contains the 'Explanation' leaf, which is frequently lacking. As Bentley notes, ‘the paper was only marginally larger than the copperplate, and even in untrimmed copies ... parts of the platemark may not appear.’ Bentley 515; Butlin, pp. 66 -71; Keynes 200.



Quarto (415 x 323mm). ‘Explanation of Engravings’ leaf at end, 4 engraved part titles and 39 etched and engraved pictorial borders by and after Blake (pp.13-14 with repaired tear into text but without loss and with lower corner defective just into engraved border, tiny wormhole at gutter running throughout, pp.39-40 with tiny chip to lower corner but not into border, light browning throughout, last few leaves with dark stain affecting lower fore-edge). Contemporary ?Spanish calf, panelled in gilt with an outer foliate border, upper cover lettered in gilt in English, gilt edges (rebacked preserving original spine, extremities rubbed). Provenance: ?Mirem (ink ownership inscription on title) – Eduardo J. Bullrich (1885-1951, of Buenos Aires, morocco gilt booklabel) – Sir Robert Henry Edward Abdy, 5th Baronet (1896-1976); pencilled note on flyleaf that the book was presented in about 1946 to: – Clarissa Spencer-Churchill.





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