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HOLBEIN, Hans, the younger.
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. Edited by John Chamberlaine.
First edition, "surely the finest early example of English colour printing" (Ray). These plates by various engravers after Bartolozzi's copies of Holbein's originals were issued in parts during the years 1792 to 1800, each part comprising 14 plates, each accompanied by their "biographical tracts" written by Edmund Lodge, each part costing 36 guineas.
Folio (540 × 403 mm). Contemporary calf, title gilt directly to the spine, flat bands with gilt roundel and Greek key rolls, compartments gilt with floral and foliate tools, boards with broad rolled gilt panel of overlapped drawer-handle tools between saw-tooth rolls, zig-zag edge-roll, all edges gilt, wide turn-ins with gilt palmette roll, foliate corner-pieces, dun endpapers. 83 stipple-engraved plates, 65 on pink paper, 50 of these mounted, 4 on greyish paper mounted, one plate with 2 hand-coloured engravings - listed as plates 75 and 76 in Abbey's plates-count - the last 10 plates being unlettered proofs. Skilfully rebacked with the original spine laid down and the corners restored, a little rubbed overall, and with some craquelure to edges of boards, free endpapers browned at margins from turn-ins, internally some browning, 2 plain paper plates (Judge More and Warham) particularly foxed, one plate on pink paper (Jane Seymour) split a short way along the plate-mark, 2 mounted plates loose, but remains a handsome copy.
