Argenterie

1825 · ST20491 — London: R. Ackermann 1825. FIRST EDITION. 236 x 144 mm. 9 1/4 x 5 3/4". vii 1 84 pp. <br/> STRIKING DARK GREEN MOROCCO VERY ELABORATELY GILT BY CUNEO stamp-signed on lower front turn-in for Mildred B. Davey named stamped on upper front turn-in covers with geometric Art Deco frame smooth spine in compartments with triangle ornaments gilt lettering git-ruled turn-ins marbled endpapers. Housed in matching green morocco-backed clamshell box lined with fleece. Engraved map and 24 FINE DELICATELY HAND-COLORED PLATES inlaid on heavy stock as issued; original tissue guards. Verso of front free endpaper with engraved bookplate of Mildred Davey and red morocco ex-libris of Paul Edward Chevalier; front flyleaf with 19th century ink owner inscription of William Mitchell. A Large Paper Copy. Abbey Travel 210; Tooley 245; S. T. Prideaux "Aquatint Engraving: A Chapter in the History of Book Illustration" p. 229. See Peter Thorold "The British in France: Visitors and Residents since the Revolution" p. 64. A very small ink spot just intruding on very bottom edge of a handful of leaves a few vague spots of foxing to map isolated faint offsetting from illustrations but A VERY FINE COPY in all other ways--the text clean fresh and bright the plates immaculate the margins spacious the binding lustrous and sparkling.<br/> <br/> This is a lovely copy of a work with plates Prideaux considers "among the most beautiful to be found in aquatint engraving" and it comes in a handsome binding commissioned by Mildred Benson Davey and later owned by Paul Chevalier. Issued by a publisher known for his lavishly illustrated travelogues the volume takes us on a journey through the scenic French Pyrenees escorted by Englishman Joseph Hardy who adds his insights on the local population and government gives recommendations on the best mineral baths and describes in word and image the breathtaking scenery. The views are small measuring approximately 90 x 70 mm. but as Abbey notes "part of their charm is certainly in their small size." Sarah Prideaux praised their composition: "The ground is exceedingly fine and there is no line whatever. The colouring is most delicate and all the twenty-four illustrations are exquisite." We can only be impressed by the achievement of the colorist; the detail is cleanly executed the colors are luminescent and the images do not disappoint even under magnification. Thorold notes that this work was "a great success" and was later translated into French. Our copy was bound in a bold modern design at the Chicago workshop founded by in 1926 by John Cuneo 1884-1977. Cuneo hired fine British craftsmen like the Englishman Leonard Mounteney to create bibliophile-quality bindings for American collectors. After apprenticing at the bindery of G. & J. Abbott in Nottingham and studying ornamental design at the Battersea Polytechnic Mounteney worked as an exhibition finisher for Riviere before emigrating to Chicago where he initially worked with Alfred de Sauty at the R. R. Donnelley bindery before joining Cuneo's hand bindery. The present binding was a commission for Mildred Benson Davey 1890-1953 daughter of the founder of Benson & Rixon men’s clothiers. Cuneo also bound books for Chicago retail magnate Marshall Fields. Later our binding was appreciated by distinguished connoisseur Paul Chevalier whose library of beautiful volumes was uniformly characterized by outstanding workmanship and superb condition. The sale of his books in 1990 represented one of the best collections of 20th century bindings brought to auction in the past half century. Laid in is Christie's slip from Chevalier's 9 November sale where this appeared as lot 23 selling for $935. R. Ackermann unknown