James Bateman
The orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala, London, 1843
Found at
Sothebys,
London
The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I, Lot 12
6. May - 18. May 2022
The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I, Lot 12
6. May - 18. May 2022
Estimate: XX.XXX
Price realised: XX.XXX
Price realised: XX.XXX
Description
James Bateman
The orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala. London: J. Ridgway and Sons, 1843
FIRST EDITION, ONE OF ONLY 125 COPIES, elephant folio (730 x 530mm.), lithographed title by J. Brandard, engraved dedication to Queen Adelaide, list of subscribers, 40 hand-coloured lithographed plates by M. Gauci after Miss S.A. Drake, Miss Jane Edwards, Samuel Holden and Mrs Augusta Withers, printed by M. Gauci, wood-engraved vignettes by George Cruikshank and others, addenda, corrigenda and directions to the binder slips mounted on a leaf at the end, contemporary brown half morocco by J.B, Hawes, some spotting as usual, binding a bit worn
"The largest, heaviest, but also probably the finest orchid book ever issued'' (Great Flower Books).
''Bateman's giant folio eclipses the works of all who went before or came after him. Gauci, who executed the forty lithographs (thirty-seven of which were made from drawings by Mrs Withers or Miss Drake), was a true master of the process: his tone ranges from the palest of silvery greys to the richest velvet black; his outline is never mechanical or obtrusive; and the hand-colouring is executed with consummate skill. In this book, the great orchids of central America live for us in all their glory'' (Blunt, The Art of Botanical Illustration).
The book also has the odd distinction of being the only botanical work with illustrations by George Cruikshank, one of which parodies the volume's massive bulk and the inconvenience thus caused to librarians.
LITERATURE:
Great Flower Books, p. 48; Nissen BBI 89; Stafleu TL2 342
The orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala. London: J. Ridgway and Sons, 1843
FIRST EDITION, ONE OF ONLY 125 COPIES, elephant folio (730 x 530mm.), lithographed title by J. Brandard, engraved dedication to Queen Adelaide, list of subscribers, 40 hand-coloured lithographed plates by M. Gauci after Miss S.A. Drake, Miss Jane Edwards, Samuel Holden and Mrs Augusta Withers, printed by M. Gauci, wood-engraved vignettes by George Cruikshank and others, addenda, corrigenda and directions to the binder slips mounted on a leaf at the end, contemporary brown half morocco by J.B, Hawes, some spotting as usual, binding a bit worn
"The largest, heaviest, but also probably the finest orchid book ever issued'' (Great Flower Books).
''Bateman's giant folio eclipses the works of all who went before or came after him. Gauci, who executed the forty lithographs (thirty-seven of which were made from drawings by Mrs Withers or Miss Drake), was a true master of the process: his tone ranges from the palest of silvery greys to the richest velvet black; his outline is never mechanical or obtrusive; and the hand-colouring is executed with consummate skill. In this book, the great orchids of central America live for us in all their glory'' (Blunt, The Art of Botanical Illustration).
The book also has the odd distinction of being the only botanical work with illustrations by George Cruikshank, one of which parodies the volume's massive bulk and the inconvenience thus caused to librarians.
LITERATURE:
Great Flower Books, p. 48; Nissen BBI 89; Stafleu TL2 342
A top price for James Bateman - as previously expected
In May last year Sothebys in London held the auction The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I, which included the work The orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala, London, 1843 by James Bateman. The price achieved of GBP 52,920.00 (€ 62,255.34) was within expectations - the estimate range had previously been set by the auction house as GBP 40,000.00 – 60,000.00. Even if this result could not surprise positively, The orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala, London, 1843 is the most expensive artwork by James Bateman that we have observed at auctions so far.
Ein Spitzenpreis mit Ansage
Im Mai letzten Jahres führte Sothebys in London die Auktion The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I durch, in der auch die Arbeit The orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala, London, 1843 von James Bateman zur Versteigerung kam. Der dabei erzielte Preis von GBP 52.920,00 (€ 62.255,34) lag im Rahmen der Erwartungen – die Schätzpreisspanne war von dem Auktionshaus zuvor mit GBP 40.000,00 – 60.000,00 angegeben worden. Auch wenn das Ergebnis damit nicht positiv überraschen konnte, ist The orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala, London, 1843 das teuerste Kunstwerk von James Bateman, das wir bisher bei Auktionen beobachtet haben.
James Bateman - Auction history
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