GOULD, John (1804-1881)

Lot 173
10.07.2024 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
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£ 37 800
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 1249822
Lot 173 | GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Estimate value
£ 30 000 – 50 000
GOULD, John (1804-1881)
The Birds of Great Britain. London: Taylor and Francis for the author, [1862]-1873.
Fine subscriber’s copy of ‘the most sumptuous and costly of British Bird Books’ (Mullens and Swan), with authorial note to the Marchioness of Westminster. Gould was especially proud of this work, and it 'was seen – perhaps partly because its subject was British, as the culmination of [his] ... genius' (Isabella Tree, The Ruling Passion of John Gould, London: 1991, p.207). The text is longer than in any of his other works, and the illustrations, many of them prepared from freshly killed specimens, include many more depictions of chicks, nests and eggs. Wolf, who drew 57 of the plates, had accompanied Gould on an ornithological tour of Scandinavia in 1856, and was responsible for persuading Gould and Richter to adopt a livelier treatment of the illustrations. Sauer 23; Zimmer p.261; Fine Bird Books (1990) p.102; Wood p.365; Nissen IVB 372.

25 parts bound in 5 volumes, folio (540 x 362 mm). 5pp. list of subscribers, 367 hand coloured lithographic plates (variable light spotting, mainly confined to vol. I and the title pages of all volumes, vol. IV pl. 32 tiny marginal nick, vol. IV pl. 33 tiny marginal crease). Contemporary green morocco by Tuckett, covers with wide gilt borders composed of fillets and foliate roll tools sandwiching a large scroll of oak leaves, gilt spines in compartments with double raised bands, lettered in gilt in second and third compartments, the others with corner pieces of oak leaves enclosing foliate centrepieces, gilt turn-ins and edges (extremities faintly rubbed). Provenance: Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster (1795-1869; subscriber to 2 copies of the work, bookplates, presentation inscription in vol. 1 dated 1876, to:) – Thomas Merthyr Guest (1838-1904; bookplates; husband of:) – Theodora Guest (1840-1924; daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Westminster, autograph note about an avian specimen she sent to the Natural History Museum in vol. 4, in margin of text opposite pl. 82) – John Gould (autograph note on separate piece of paper pasted to front pastedown of vol. 1 to the Marchioness of Westminster and Theodora Guest, with a possible date of 1877).
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