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Hans Holbein; F. Bartolozzi : 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

John Chamberlaine., London, c. 1812

Contemporary gilt lined half morocco with marbled boards. Gilt floral motif on spine densely gilt with 6 compartments of raised bands. All edges gilt. Marbled and pasted free endpapers. , Very Good Condition; text and plates are clean and crisp. , Large Quarto (250mm x 330, Complete with 2 Frontispieces and 83 other Stipple engraved coloured plates by Knight, Cheesman, Facius, Cooper, Freeman and others after Holbein and Bartolozzi . Plates are portraits of Royal Persons, Ministers of State, Literary Characters, Ladies of High Rank, Private Gentleman, Private Gentlewomen, French Court and other anonymous people of notoriety.

“In every way a splendid book, the colour printing reproducing with extraordinary fidelity of the original designs: the biographical notices are by Edmund Lodge.� (Abbey Life, 205)

The idea of engraving the series of drawings of the heads of men and women of Henry VIII’s court originated with Dalton, the Keeper of the King’s drawings. The engraver employed to do the work was George Vertue who spent a part of three years on the project. But apparently his work was unsatisfactory for it was abandoned in 1774. John Chamberlaine succeeded Dalton as Keeper of the drawings and it was during his regime between the years 1792 and 1800 that they were successfully published. The portraits are done in stipple and printed on white or pink paper. Those on white paper indicate the earlier drawings made during Holbein’s first visit to England. In these, the outlines are drawn in black and the features modeled in red chalk. The portraits of Warham and Guldeford and the members of Sir Thomas More’s family are in this earlier manner. Those printed on pink paper indicate originals done in the later method of working on a ground of flesh or salmon and modeling the features in black chalk with touches of red after which outlines and details of hair and dress were strengthened with pen or brush and Indian ink.

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