Egyptologie

The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos. Volume II: The Chapels of Amen-Re, Re-Harakhti, Ptah, and King Sethos.

Elephant folio. Pp. ix, plus 46 plates printed in various techniques, partly lithography, partly collotype, mostly double-page or folding, several in exquisite coloured collotype, including the frontispiece. Hardcover, bound in the original publisher's full cloth, large decoration embossed on cover in gilt, gilt spine; two very small tears at outermost fore-margin of one plate, discretely closed on verso. In mint condition, both externally and internally. A splendid copy, seldom found in such condition. ~ First edition. An outstanding production. Collotype is one of the most accurate and attractive methods of photomechanical tonal printing processes. Highly skilled and expensive process, it cannot produce more than a limited number of impressions. It has been used for single-sheet prints and luxury portfolios, and since the 1950s has been abandoned by all except a few small specialist firms. Coloured collotypes the size of the plates here (image size ca. 50x110 cm) are very rare indeed in book production, so much so in such superb quality. Sir Alan Henderson Gardiner (1879-1963); Amice Mary Calverley (1896-1959); Myrtle Florence Broome (1888-1978). Beinlich-Seeber 8402.