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[Aquatint Views] Ainslie, Sir Robert SERIES OF TWENTY-FOUR VIEWS ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. Selected From Sir Robert Ainslie's Celebrated Collection of Drawings in Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Corinth, Ephesus, &c. &c &c. With A Geographical and Historical Account of Each View Printed London R. Bowyer 1814

First Edition. 24 exquisite hand-coloured aquatint plates engraved and coloured under the direction of J. Clarke from Ainslie's collection of drawings. Folio, in a handsome binding of marbled boards backed in red morocco, spine gilt lettered and ruled, tooled in black. 8, [24 plates] The plates are very fresh and clean, the binding in excellent condition.

A very lovely and scarce collection of aquatint views and a difficult piece for the bibliographer. Although this would appear to the first edition of this collection, the views had been previously printed, although not coloured in some cases. Abbey notes that the dating of the book also presents a problem. The text pages bear the watermark of 1805, but the plates bear a watermark of 1814. It has been suggested that Bowyer was not in a position to print the plates in 1805, yet he produced similar view books in 1803, 1804 and 1810. Abbey also suggest that this could be a reprint of a work circa 1807, but dose not list a copy to substantiate this. The copy in the British Museum is a much smaller printing dated 1833 on the title-page, nor does Sir Roberts biography note an edition before the 1833.
Sir Robert Ainslie was a Baronet, MP, numismatist and Ambassador to Turkey. It was while stationed in Constantinople that he acquired his vast collection of antiquities, largely coins, and artwork. Much of his collection was presented to the British Museum and was published throughout Europe.

$US1500

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