VARIOUS PROPERTIES
LAWRANCE, MARY. Sketches of Flowers from Nature. London: to be had of M. Lawrance, and all principal booksellers, [1800-] 1801. 4to, 356 x 305 mm. (14 1/16 x 12 in.), modern blue straight-grained half morocco antique, very slight scuffing to extremities, neatly repaired tears to upper corner of title and upper margin of plate 23, a few edges frayed, minor creasing to title and to corners of a few plates, occasional light spotting and mostly marginal soiling. FIRST AND ONLY EDITION, 2 leaves text (title-leaf and introduction with index of plates on verso), 11 plates of etchings with engraving and stipple, the first in 3 states: uncolored, with first layer of wash coloring, and fully colored with added bodycolor, the remainder in two states, uncolored and colored, on 2 different paper stocks, watermarked "E & P" 1800" and "Whatman 1794", all signed in the plate, a few plates undated, the others dated 1 June, 1 Nov. or 9 Dec. 1800 or 1 May 1801, misbound.
Details
LAWRANCE, MARY. Sketches of Flowers from Nature. London: to be had of M. Lawrance, and all principal booksellers, [1800-] 1801. 4to, 356 x 305 mm. (14 1/16 x 12 in.), modern blue straight-grained half morocco antique, very slight scuffing to extremities, neatly repaired tears to upper corner of title and upper margin of plate 23, a few edges frayed, minor creasing to title and to corners of a few plates, occasional light spotting and mostly marginal soiling. FIRST AND ONLY EDITION, 2 leaves text (title-leaf and introduction with index of plates on verso), 11 plates of etchings with engraving and stipple, the first in 3 states: uncolored, with first layer of wash coloring, and fully colored with added bodycolor, the remainder in two states, uncolored and colored, on 2 different paper stocks, watermarked "E & P" 1800" and "Whatman 1794", all signed in the plate, a few plates undated, the others dated 1 June, 1 Nov. or 9 Dec. 1800 or 1 May 1801, misbound.
A RARE MANUAL OF BOTANICAL DRAWING. Mary Lawrance, a highly successful teacher of botanical drawing, is best known for her Collection of Roses, the first illustrated book devoted entirely to roses. She published the present series of plates as an aid to her students, "to instruct those of the Younger, as well as afford Improvement to those who have obtained some knowledge of the Art" (introduction). Lawrance etched the plates after her own drawings and colored them herself, the pigments having been "prepared at her own house and under her supervision'" (Henrey, II:580, quoting from E. Willmott, The Genus Rosa). Dunthorne 178 (6 plates only, without text); Henrey III:949 (1 copy, Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew), and vol. II, pp. 577-580; Nissen BBI 1153. Not in NUC; no copies have been sold at auction, according to ABPC, in the past 60 or more years.
The 5 plates not listed by Dunthorne depict: Wall-flower; Crocus and Snowdrop; Primrose; Marbled Rose, Sweet Pea, Wood Sorrel and Ixia; Double Velvet Rose, Square leaved Corn Flag, and Winged Mahernia.
A RARE MANUAL OF BOTANICAL DRAWING. Mary Lawrance, a highly successful teacher of botanical drawing, is best known for her Collection of Roses, the first illustrated book devoted entirely to roses. She published the present series of plates as an aid to her students, "to instruct those of the Younger, as well as afford Improvement to those who have obtained some knowledge of the Art" (introduction). Lawrance etched the plates after her own drawings and colored them herself, the pigments having been "prepared at her own house and under her supervision'" (Henrey, II:580, quoting from E. Willmott, The Genus Rosa). Dunthorne 178 (6 plates only, without text); Henrey III:949 (1 copy, Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew), and vol. II, pp. 577-580; Nissen BBI 1153. Not in NUC; no copies have been sold at auction, according to ABPC, in the past 60 or more years.
The 5 plates not listed by Dunthorne depict: Wall-flower; Crocus and Snowdrop; Primrose; Marbled Rose, Sweet Pea, Wood Sorrel and Ixia; Double Velvet Rose, Square leaved Corn Flag, and Winged Mahernia.