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Pinkerton, John : THE SCOTTISH GALLERY; Or, Portraits of Eminent Persons of Scotland

E. Harding, London, 1799

Lg. 8vo. (9 3/4 x 6 1/2 inches), full straight grained crimson morocco with a quarter inch scroll border and four leafy fleurons in the corners; spine with five raised bands and one large gilt fleuron in each of the compartments, except the one with the title information. Board edges gilt, inner gilt dentelles, watered silk end leaves; a.e.g.The work contains 47 leaves of portrait plates and 116 unnumbered pages of text, including an Introduction on the rise and progress of painting in Scotland. The number of portraits and text pages is at variance with the copy reported to OCLC First Search, 50 and 128 respectively, but the present copy appears to be complete, not withstanding the fact that not every portrait has a corresponding biographical text. This discrepancy is borne out in the editor's own Introduction: "The reader will observe that, of two or three of the portraits here given, there are no letter-press descriptions, because the persons are sufficiently known." An earlier work different from the present collection, Iconography Scotch, or Portraits of Illustrious Persons of Scotland. London (Printed for Isaac Herbert), 1797, also unsigned and unpainted calls for 50 plates while Grass states 52 plates. Many of the portraits in the book are after paintings by the celebrated George James (1588?-1644) at Taymouth and other places. In addition the usual array of royalty, there are portraits of scholars (Sir Thomas Hope), poets (William Drummond, Arthur Johnson), scientists (James Gregory, inventor of the reflecting telescope), and painters (Sir John Medina). A very nice copy of an attractive and interesting book.

18TH CENTURY CRIMSON STRAIGHT GRAINED MOROCCO

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