Lot Essay
Samuel Buck, and his brother Nathaniel, published engravings of 428 views of the ruins of all noted abbeys and castles in the country, together with four views of seats and 83 large general views of the chief cities and towns of England and Wales. They would travel round the country in the summer and produce engravings during the winter which were some of the earliest topographical views of Britain. The engravings were printed and sold individually and collected into volumes for book purchasers between 1724 and 1738. This drawing was engraved with some changes for Buck's Antiquities as 'The North View of Tinemouth Monastery & Castle in Northumberland' and was dedicated to Henry Villiers the owner at the time. The original drawings for these works are rare; examples are in the British Library, the British Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.