![GIBBS, James (1682-1754). A Book of Architecture, containing Designs of Buildings and Ornaments. London: [William Bowyer] 1728. 2° (507 x 361mm). 150 engraved plates, 4 of these folding, by Hulsberg, Harris, Kirkall, Baron, and Vertue, after Gibbs; EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED with an aquatint portrait of Gibbs by Peter Pelham after the lost original by Hans Hysing, this mounted on a blank. (Occasional small marginal dampstain, some light marginal soiling, plates 26 and 27 inverted by the binder.) Contemporary reversed calf panelled in blind, edges sprinkled red. (Spine worn, label lost, corners rubbed, sides with some staining and small scuffs with some loss). Provenance: ?James Gibbs (by repute, inscription by Richardson recording the gift to:) -- Peterhouse, Cambridge (bookplate; sold 1943).](https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2013/CKS/2013_CKS_01186_0323_000(gibbs_james_a_book_of_architecture_containing_designs_of_buildings_and012254).jpg?w=1)
Details
GIBBS, James (1682-1754). A Book of Architecture, containing Designs of Buildings and Ornaments. London: [William Bowyer] 1728. 2° (507 x 361mm). 150 engraved plates, 4 of these folding, by Hulsberg, Harris, Kirkall, Baron, and Vertue, after Gibbs; EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED with an aquatint portrait of Gibbs by Peter Pelham after the lost original by Hans Hysing, this mounted on a blank. (Occasional small marginal dampstain, some light marginal soiling, plates 26 and 27 inverted by the binder.) Contemporary reversed calf panelled in blind, edges sprinkled red. (Spine worn, label lost, corners rubbed, sides with some staining and small scuffs with some loss). Provenance: ?James Gibbs (by repute, inscription by Richardson recording the gift to:) -- Peterhouse, Cambridge (bookplate; sold 1943).
ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PATTERN BOOKS IN THE HISTORY OF BRITISH ARCHITECTURE, and 'the first book by a British architect consisting entirely of his own designs' (Harris). It is richly illustrated throughout and reproduces some of Gibbs's key works, including his Palladian masterpiece St Martin-in-the-Fields. In his introduction Gibbs explains that he published the book to assist 'gentlemen as might be concerned in building, especially in the remote parts of the country, where little or no assistance for designs can be procured.' Gibbs's book fulfilled this function for more than a century not only for the English country builder, but also as a leading reference for builders in India, South Africa, the West Indies, and America. According to Richardson James Gibbs presented this copy to Peterhouse, Cambridge, possibly when Gibbs was working on the nearby Senate House in 1730; Richardson purchased it from Peterhouse in 1943. Fowler 138; Harris 257; RIBA 1206.
ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PATTERN BOOKS IN THE HISTORY OF BRITISH ARCHITECTURE, and 'the first book by a British architect consisting entirely of his own designs' (Harris). It is richly illustrated throughout and reproduces some of Gibbs's key works, including his Palladian masterpiece St Martin-in-the-Fields. In his introduction Gibbs explains that he published the book to assist 'gentlemen as might be concerned in building, especially in the remote parts of the country, where little or no assistance for designs can be procured.' Gibbs's book fulfilled this function for more than a century not only for the English country builder, but also as a leading reference for builders in India, South Africa, the West Indies, and America. According to Richardson James Gibbs presented this copy to Peterhouse, Cambridge, possibly when Gibbs was working on the nearby Senate House in 1730; Richardson purchased it from Peterhouse in 1943. Fowler 138; Harris 257; RIBA 1206.
Brought to you by
Alexandra Cruden