Holbein

Imitations of Original Drawings by Hans Holbein

1792 · 65216 — ìThis Magnificent Work Is Surely The Finest Early Example Of English Color Printing." A Majestic Large Folio Volume Of More than 80 Beautiful Color Stipple-Engraved Portraits Of The Court Of Henry VIII HOLBEIN Hans artist. CHAMBERLAINE John. Imitations of Original Drawings by Hans Holbein in the Collection of His Majesty for the Portraits of Illustrious Persons of the Court of Henry VIII. With biographical tracts. Published by John Chamberlaine Keeper of the King's Drawings and Medals and F.S.A. London: W. Bulmer & Co. 1792. First edition of Chamberlaineís magnificent volume of 86 color stipple-engraved plates rarely found complete. Large folio 21 1/4 x 16 1/2 inches; 540 x 415 mm. Complete with the 80 listed plates all of which are mounted frontispiece portraits of Holbein and Holbein's wife and a third frontis of a group portrait two hand-colored miniatures and an additional plate of Henry Howard Earl of Surry engraved by Scriven. An impressive collection of full-page engravings after Holbeinís legendary portraits of Jane Seymour Anne Boleyn Sir Thomas More a young Edward VI Anne of Cleves and other court figures with frontispiece portraits of Holbein and his wife. Of the listed plates all but four portraits are engraved by the great Bartolozzi. In total eighty-two plates are in color with four on lavender paper sixty-three on pink thirteen on white/buff inclusive of one sheet with double portrait of Henry and Charles Brandon finished by hand. With one leaf of publisher's advertisements. 19th-century full red morocco rebacked with original spine laid down. Boards elaborately stamped with floral devices and with thirteen gilt rules. Spines elaborately stamped in blind and gilt lettered in gilt. With one-inch gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Green coated endpapers. Plates exceptionally bright and clean with only very minor instances of foxing. Most foxing is to leaves and not engravings. Title-page with 11/2-inch x 1/2 piece torn from fore-edge and a 2-inch closed tear at fore-edge neither affecting text. Many of the plates are a somewhat wrinkled. The plate of Lord Clinton with a small tear to the pink paper not affecting engraving. Occasional marginal closed tears professionally repaired. Binding a bit rubbed and bumped. Overall a very good copy of a magnificent work. German artist Hans Holbein the Younger ranks ìas one of the best portrait-painters in the world. He combined artistic beauty and precision of technical execution with extraordinary truth to nature and power of interpretation of character.î Holbein born in 1497 first ìarrived in England in the 18th year of the reign of Henry VIII. Sir Thomas More was then Chancellor of the Exchequer and Warham. was Archbishop of Canterbury. Through them Holbein obtained easy access to the leading men of the courtî painting portraits of Moore Warham and many others before returning home. He journeyed back to England in 1532 where by 1536 he was in service as ìëthe kingís painterí and in that year he painted the new queen Jane Seymour.î In 1539 as a New Yearís gift to the king ìhe gave ëa table of the pictour of the princeís graceí possibly the portrait of the infant Edward VI at Hanover. His portrait of Anne of Cleves perhaps the one now in the Louvre was sufficiently attractive to decide the king in her favourî DNB. The majestic portraiture of Holbein who died in London in 1543 ìremains unsurpassed for sureness and economy of statement penetration into character and a combined richness and purity of styleî Waterhouse. At the end of the 18th century John Chamberlaine in the court of George III sought to bring together a work to pay tribute to Holbeinís magnificent artistry. There had been previous unsuccessful attempts to publish the portraits in engraved reproductions such as a 1792 volume containing 33 plates of poor quality titled The Court of Henry the Eighth. Yet Chamberlain succeeded where others failed for as the kingís Keeper of the Drawings he assembled in this Imitations of Original Drawings by Hans Holbein 84 splendid color stipple-engraved full-page portraits of Edward VI Anne Boleyn Thomas More Jane Seymour the Archbishop of Canterbury Anne of Cleves and other major figures of the age. ìOne of the most magnificent books that we have ever seen and whether we consider the genius of the painter or the talents of the engravers reflects high honor on the age and nation which produced itî London Monthly Review. Sir Walter Scott praised it as ìa collection which at once satisfies the imagination and the understanding showing us. how the most distinguished of our ancestors looked moved and dressed and. how they thought acted lived and diedî Allibone 1120. Color-inked on the plates these intricate stipple-engraved portraits comprise ìinestimable examples of English color printing at its bestî Joan Friedman. ìThis magnificent work is surely the finest early example of English color printing. The reduced reissue of 1812 reprinted in 1828 gives no idea of the bookís qualityî Ray English 19. ìIn every way a splendid bookî Abbey Life 205. Initially issued serially in 14 parts from 1792-1800.†This volumeís 86 beautiful portraits were achieved with techniques that admirably succeed in honoring Holbeinís portraiture. The plates were etched or engraved in gray or sepia ink with additional colored inks applied a la poupee two hand-colored. Text by Edmund Lodge. Abbey Life 206. Lowndes 1381. Abbey Life 205 206. HBS 65216. $17500 W. Bulmer & Co. hardcover books