Stowe. A Description of the House and Gardens of the Most Noble & Puissant Prince, George-Grenville-Nugent-Temple Marquis of Buckingham
Beckford's Copy. Seeley, John
Buckingham. J. Seeley. 1797
Sold
Large paper copy of Seeley's Stowe - limited to 150 copies - from the library of William Beckford in a lavish contemporary binding by Kalthoeber.
One of a number of catalogues published by the Seeley family on Stowe, first issued in 1744 and published at intervals until a century later. This edition, with the engraved plates by Medland, is considered one of the most desirable and was the basis for the editions of the nineteenth-century with the engravings replaced by lithographs.
The house was originally constructed by Viscount Cobham (1669 - 1749), with work continued by his descendants. The house was eventually auctioned to pay the debts of Cobham's descendant the Duke of Buckingham in 1848.
One of a number of catalogues published by the Seeley family on Stowe, first issued in 1744 and published at intervals until a century later. This edition, with the engraved plates by Medland, is considered one of the most desirable and was the basis for the editions of the nineteenth-century with the engravings replaced by lithographs.
The house was originally constructed by Viscount Cobham (1669 - 1749), with work continued by his descendants. The house was eventually auctioned to pay the debts of Cobham's descendant the Duke of Buckingham in 1848.
pp. 63, (i). 4to. (255 x 200 mm). Engraved frontispiece of the house, engraved title page with the arms of the Marquis of Buckingham, dedication leaf, leaf with verse 'To the Late Earl Temple, On Gardening', list of plates, 'Description of the Gardens' and 'Description of the House' and 31 engraved plates (frontispiece and 24 plates signed T. Medland) each with guardleaf, including ten figures of floor and room plans on 5 sheets (unsigned), a double-page 'Plan of the Garden' and the folding 'Plan of the House' (unsigned). Contemporary crimson straight-grained morocco by Kalthoeber (with his orange ticket to front free endpaper verso: Bound by / C. Kalthoeber / London'), boards double gilt fillets and dotted roll bordering a repeated floriate scroll, star burst tools to corners with fan-shaped inner corner-pieces bbuilt up smaller tools, double banded spine with elaborate gilt decorative tooling and title in six compartments, board edges and turn-ins with additional gilt decoration, marbled endpapers, crimson silk placemarker with cloth of gold tassel, a.e.g.
#38608
