MOSLEY, Seth Lister (1847-1929) - photo 1
MOSLEY, Seth Lister (1847-1929) - photo 2
MOSLEY, Seth Lister (1847-1929) - photo 3
MOSLEY, Seth Lister (1847-1929) - photo 4

MOSLEY, Seth Lister (1847-1929)

Lot 222
12.07.2023 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 8 820
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 993161
Lot 222 | MOSLEY, Seth Lister (1847-1929)
Estimate value
£ 5 000 – 8 000
MOSLEY, Seth Lister (1847-1929)

Illustrations of European Butterflies. Huddersfield: 1878-1886.

Extremely rare work with original watercolour illustrations – probably one of only 6 copies produced – with no other copy appearing at auction in the past 50 years (RBH). Because Mosley's Illustrations of varieties of British lepidoptera had had a good reception, Mosely explains in his preface that he managed to recruit subscribers for this work quite quickly. However, because the majority of plates are original watercolours, it was a laborious production, and only a very small number could have been published. Moreover, there was no explanatory text: 'As these plates are issued as a work of art, and intended as the next best substitute for a collection of real insects, I have thought it best not to attempt to give any literary matter ... all the information ... is contained in Kirby's excellent little manual, which I shall present to each subscriber' (preface). We have only been able to trace one institutional holding, that of the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, which possesses 43 parts only. Freeman British Natural History Books 2697 ('?6 copies'); Nissen ZBI 2900.



44 parts (of 60), numbering I-XXVIII, XXX-XXXIV [with two parts with a different plate complement numbered XXXII] and XXXVI-45, octavo (most approx. 260 x 175mm). 188 (of 253) plates, the majority original watercolours, some lithographed and coloured by hand, letterpress preface leaf, and with preface leaf from Illustrations of varieties of British butterflies loosely inserted (no title or explanatory text as issued, some faint spotting mainly affecting tissue guards). Original grey-blue printed wrappers, upper covers with decorative borders, dates and number of parts in ink manuscript (some faint soiling and spotting, the wrappers to part 1 fractionally frayed and with rear wrapper irregularly cut in half, but overall a clean, well-preserved set).





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12.07.2023 – 12.07.2023
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