ROWLANDSON, Thomas (1757-1827) - photo 1
ROWLANDSON, Thomas (1757-1827) - photo 2
ROWLANDSON, Thomas (1757-1827) - photo 3
ROWLANDSON, Thomas (1757-1827) - photo 4

ROWLANDSON, Thomas (1757-1827)

Lot 315
13.07.2023 10:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 2 016
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 992822
Lot 315 | ROWLANDSON, Thomas (1757-1827)
Estimate value
£ 2 000 – 3 000
ROWLANDSON, Thomas (1757-1827)

Miseries of Human Life. [London]: R. Ackerman, 1808 (plates watermarked 1823-1824).

Fine copy of Rowlandson’s beloved series of satirical prints including the very rare plate 40 'Pall Mall', with most copies re-placing this with 'The Chiropodist' (Abbey). In 1806 James Beresford (1764-1840) wrote The Miseries of Human Life. The book was an instant hit, quickly becoming a beloved classic in the world of satirical literature. Using a witty exchange between two crotchety old men, the novel humorously delves into the everyday struggles, indignities, and annoyances of human existence. Thomas Rowlandson - among other artists - was inspired to adapt it into pictorial print. In 1808, luxury print dealer Rudolph Ackermann hand-picked 50 of Rowlandson's etchings to be included in a new edition of Miseries. The characters and their dismal situations depicted are both taken directly from Beresford's text and devised by Rowlandson himself. The cast of characters and range of settings became recurring themes in his later works. 3 examples of these later iterations of the Miseries series are inserted at the rear of the present publication. They are: Miseries of the Country; Miseries of Human Life and Miseries of London. Abbey Life 317; Bobins IV, 1353; Grego, pp.119-124, 284.



Quarto (259 x 202mm). Engraved pictorial title and 49 plates, extra-illustrated with an additional three engraved plates from similar series by Rowlandson, circa 1815, title and all plates coloured by a contemporary hand, plates cut down and mounted onto old paper stock (offsetting and marginal finger-soiling). Full blue morocco by Bayntun Riviere for Denis Collins, covers ruled in gilt and with gilt pictorial decoration to front cover, housed in modern brown clamshell box with original printed green paper label pasted onto front (paper label rubbed, two letters ‘ES’ of the title reinforced in manuscript). Provenance: Denis Collins (d. 2015; binding, sale Bonhams 16 March 2016, lot 97).





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Place of origin:Northern Europe, Europe, United Kingdom
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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13.07.2023
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
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