A Booke Containing such Beasts as are most Usefull for such as practice Drawing, Graveing, Armes Painting, Chaseing, and for severall other occasions
Barlow, Francis
London. Sould by John Overton at Ye White Horse Without Newgate where you may have severall Bookes for ye same uses. 1664
Francis Barlow's very rare English drawing book of model animals and profile heads with an elephant, a camel, a griffin, a unicorn and others.
Barlow's extremely rare pattern book of animal designs was intended - as per the title - to aid those who 'practice Drawing, Graveing, Armes Painting, Chaseing'. Many of the animals depicted - some such as the griffin and unicorn are mythical - are recognisable instantly from Barlow's wider oeuvre and came to feature prominently in his Aesop that appeared two years after the present work. A heraldic intention too is evident in the series of profile heads that appear on the final four plates of the series. The work was reissued in the 18th century with the imprint of Henry rather than John Overton (the publisher / seller of this edition), who succeeded to the business in 1707; John Overton's great-nephew, also Henry, took over the business in 1751. Several of the plates also appear to have been included in editions of Robert Sayer's 'The Compleat Drawing Book ... &c.'. Sayer was an even later successor to the business.
In order, the plates are as follows: I. A bull / a bear; II. A boar / a stallion; III. A lion (couchant) / a wolf; IV. A stag / a hound; V. A camel / a lion (rampant); VI. A goat / an elephant; VII. A griffin / a courser; VIII. A hare / a rabbit and a squirrel; IX. Heads in profile: A ram / a lion / a wolf / a terrier; X. Heads in profile: An elephant / a stallion / an ass / a bull; XI. Heads in profile: A goat / a stag / a unicorn / a board; XII. Heads in profile: A wolf / a hound / a griffin / an eagle; (XIII.) Armorial plate with foliate border and blank central escutcheon.
'Barlow drew several different series of birds and animals ... He was following a long established custom of providing manuals for apprentice artists and artisans in related fields such as goldsmiths, sculptors, embroiderers, ceramists, and 'such as practice Drawing, Graveing, Armes Painting, Chaseing' [taken from the title of the present work albeit uncredited], who might not have the opportunity to sketch from life an eagle or a rhinoceros, not to mention basilisks, griffins, phenixes, or unicorns, or even be clever at drawing hens, cows and hoopoes ... Gheeraerts, Jacques le Moyne, Crispin van de Passe, and John Payne had prepared manuals that Barlow would have known, and it was natural for him to apply his talent for drawing birds and animals to similar collections.' (Edward Hodnett).
This work of Barlow's is very rare: at auction we trace one other copy, part of a sammelband of works by Barlow, sold in 1959; in institutional terms it is also very rare. The Drawing Book Project records only two examples, the copy at Yale (cited also by Wing) and the apparently incomplete copy held at the British Museum; further copies, seemingly incomplete (both detail 8 leaves of plates and may have been extracted from Sayer's 'Compleat Drawing Book'), are held by the Providence Public Library and at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. The copies held by the V & A and the Metropolitan Museum are later issues with the imprint altered to Henry Overton.
The present copy like that at the British Museum appears to have an engraved legend at lower left that has been largely effaced: as the Yale copy appears to feature the text 'Sould by G. Baker' it seems plausible that it is this text that has been effaced and that there may be two different issues in the 1660s. Yale's copy also includes a final unnumbered plate which matchespresumably the unnumbered armorial plate in this copy.
[Wing B819a; Ken Spelman's 'The Drawing Book Project' (https://www.kenspelman.com/drawingbookproject.htm); see Edward Hodnett's 'Francis Barlow: First Master of English Book Illustration', London, 1978].
Barlow's extremely rare pattern book of animal designs was intended - as per the title - to aid those who 'practice Drawing, Graveing, Armes Painting, Chaseing'. Many of the animals depicted - some such as the griffin and unicorn are mythical - are recognisable instantly from Barlow's wider oeuvre and came to feature prominently in his Aesop that appeared two years after the present work. A heraldic intention too is evident in the series of profile heads that appear on the final four plates of the series. The work was reissued in the 18th century with the imprint of Henry rather than John Overton (the publisher / seller of this edition), who succeeded to the business in 1707; John Overton's great-nephew, also Henry, took over the business in 1751. Several of the plates also appear to have been included in editions of Robert Sayer's 'The Compleat Drawing Book ... &c.'. Sayer was an even later successor to the business.
In order, the plates are as follows: I. A bull / a bear; II. A boar / a stallion; III. A lion (couchant) / a wolf; IV. A stag / a hound; V. A camel / a lion (rampant); VI. A goat / an elephant; VII. A griffin / a courser; VIII. A hare / a rabbit and a squirrel; IX. Heads in profile: A ram / a lion / a wolf / a terrier; X. Heads in profile: An elephant / a stallion / an ass / a bull; XI. Heads in profile: A goat / a stag / a unicorn / a board; XII. Heads in profile: A wolf / a hound / a griffin / an eagle; (XIII.) Armorial plate with foliate border and blank central escutcheon.
'Barlow drew several different series of birds and animals ... He was following a long established custom of providing manuals for apprentice artists and artisans in related fields such as goldsmiths, sculptors, embroiderers, ceramists, and 'such as practice Drawing, Graveing, Armes Painting, Chaseing' [taken from the title of the present work albeit uncredited], who might not have the opportunity to sketch from life an eagle or a rhinoceros, not to mention basilisks, griffins, phenixes, or unicorns, or even be clever at drawing hens, cows and hoopoes ... Gheeraerts, Jacques le Moyne, Crispin van de Passe, and John Payne had prepared manuals that Barlow would have known, and it was natural for him to apply his talent for drawing birds and animals to similar collections.' (Edward Hodnett).
This work of Barlow's is very rare: at auction we trace one other copy, part of a sammelband of works by Barlow, sold in 1959; in institutional terms it is also very rare. The Drawing Book Project records only two examples, the copy at Yale (cited also by Wing) and the apparently incomplete copy held at the British Museum; further copies, seemingly incomplete (both detail 8 leaves of plates and may have been extracted from Sayer's 'Compleat Drawing Book'), are held by the Providence Public Library and at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. The copies held by the V & A and the Metropolitan Museum are later issues with the imprint altered to Henry Overton.
The present copy like that at the British Museum appears to have an engraved legend at lower left that has been largely effaced: as the Yale copy appears to feature the text 'Sould by G. Baker' it seems plausible that it is this text that has been effaced and that there may be two different issues in the 1660s. Yale's copy also includes a final unnumbered plate which matchespresumably the unnumbered armorial plate in this copy.
[Wing B819a; Ken Spelman's 'The Drawing Book Project' (https://www.kenspelman.com/drawingbookproject.htm); see Edward Hodnett's 'Francis Barlow: First Master of English Book Illustration', London, 1978].
[14 leaves]. 12mo. (184 x 144 mm). Engraved title within elaborate engraved cartouche, 12 engraved plates numbered 1 to 12 (reversed in the plate), the majority with two subjects, one with three and four with four, 32 in total and final armorial engraving with elaborate foliate border and with centre left blank for text, all by William Vaughan (listed as Vaughā) after Francis Barlow, plates printed on a uniform laid stock with vertical chain lines (two plates printed with the chain lines horizontal) with unidentified watermark;sheet size: 178 x 138 mm. Full nineteenth century green crushed morocco, banded spine with gilt title in six compartments, turn-ins with triple gilt rules, board edges with double gilt rules, a.e.g.
#48593
