![[EROTICA / CURIOUSA / ISLAMIC LAW]. Original painting](https://rarebookinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/31570522114-600x394.jpg)
Anonymous Indian Artist / Burhan al-Shariah, Mahmud ibn Ubayd Allah
Large painting on a manuscript leaf (in Arabic) from the "Sharh al-Wiqayah" by Burhan al-Shariah, Mahmud ibn Ubayd Allah (SEE BELOW), 353 x 216 mm, hinged onto plexiglas mount with clear tape so that the text of the manuscript is visible from the back; matted (matte size: 500 x 360). A remarkable erotic Indian painting of an uncommon type, which we describe as "zoomorphic erotica." The painting depicts a camel within a frame, surrounded by an antilope, a lion, a horse, a gazelle, and a bull; within each animal is a depiction of an orgy comprised of six (or in the case of the camel) seven men and women, all finely rendered by an artist of considerable skill. This is a very high quality piece. THE MANUSCRIPT on which the painting was applied belongs to a rare text: is an excerpt from the "Shará ¥ al-WiqÄyah," a commentary on a work of Hanafi fiqh (law) byBurhÄn al-SharÄ«Ê»ah, Maá ¥mÅ«d ibn Ê»Ubayd AllÄh (d. 1274 or 1275), specifically from the chapter about PREPARING BODIES FOR FUNERALS. We are grateful to Kelly Tuttle for her scholarly generosity in identifying this text, and for dating it to the early 20th century. MUST BE SEEN TO BE FULLY APPRECIATED.
Roscoe, William
Square 12mo. 16 pp. With 8 plates including frontispiece (dated 1821) which has been mounted inside front wrapper as per most copies (one plate loose; final page partially pasted onto the inside of lower cover; plates browned as is always the case on account of the inferior paper stock). Original salmon stiff wrappers. First American Edition, second issue, ONE OF THE FIRST BOOKS PRINTED IN AMERICA WITH ILLUSTRATIONS OF DOGS. The poem makes oblique references to the Dog Tax proposed in Britain in 1796. As a Pro-Union diatribe against government oppression, "The Council of Dogs" is hardly suitable for children. First published in London by Harris in 1808, its bitter satire much darker than most "childrens books" of the time. Unlike the typical whimsical chapbook illustrations that intermix human and animal parts, the pictures in "The Council of Dogs" are carefully delineated and seem more akin to British dog-breeding prints. THE STORY: After announcing that dogs feel overlooked in all the excitement over the butterfly and peacock gatherings, various dog breeds appear and give partisan soapbox speeches about the superiority of one breed over another. The poem moves away from Dorset's pattern as the content grows darker. Eventually, all sense of the child-as-reader disappears, and the poem becomes an overt protest of the dog tax and a covert call for Workers to Unite. THE DOG TAX OF 1796: Rural dog gatherings were associated with unruly working-class gatherings, such as animal fights and bear and bull baiting. Animal control laws were one of many legal measures to circumscribe the lives of the poor and protect the privilege of the rich. The dog licensing act was intended to control unregulated dogs that roamed the city streets. Since the dog owner (not the dog) was required to carry the license, dog licenses ultimately regulated owners. The compelling force behind the Dog Tax was not to generate revenue but rather to discourage the rural poor from owning Poaching Dogs. It is significant that one of the speaking animals in "The Council of Dogs" is a Poacher's Dog. Further, as Ritvo has suggests, when dog shows began in England in 1859, they were dedicated to controlling dog breeds and stopping indiscriminate cross-breeding. Dog shows created model-breed specimens and discouraged mongrels." (SOURCE: Donelle Ruwe, "British Children's Poetry in the Romantic Era" pp. 25-26). REFERENCES: Moon, 166. Osborne, p. 627. Rosenbach 389. Welch, American children's books, 241. Rosenbach 603.
Jamake Highwater, Oscar Brousse Jacobson
Incomplete set, with 13 (of 30) plates. With folio text: 29, [3] pp. (Introduction by Jamake Highwater + reprint of Jacobson's Introduction to the 1929 edition + Contents leaf + Colophon leaf; last page a little dusty), stitched with thread as issued. This copy lacks the original chemise (boards tied with string). While significantly incomplete, the price of this set has been very significantly reduced accordingly. An important series of six-color offset lithographs of paintings by four Oklahoma Kiowa tribal young men (Spencer Asah, Jack Hokeah, Steve Mopope, and Monroe Tsa-to-ke) and one woman (Miss Bou-ge-tah Smoky). This 1979 reprint was limited to 750 copies, all signed by Jamake Highwater, who wrote the new Introduction. An imperfect copy, and priced accordingly, with 13 (of 30) plates, and with the important introductory texts by Highwater and Jacobson. Our copy contains the following plates: 8: Asah Dancing 9: Kiowa Family 12: Kiowa Singers 14: Making Medicine 16: Kiowa Warrior and Wife 20: Wedding Ceremony 21: War Dance 22: Eagle Dance 25: Eagle Dance 26: Dance of the Dog Soldiers 27: Medicine Dance 29: Kiowa Warrior 30: Warriors. The plates are in excellent condition and are suitable for exhibition and study.
Bien, Julius
Original lithograph: folio map (image size: 29" x 18") unframed. Edges with some chipping or loss in the margins (SEE IMAGES), tear along fold at top edge extending ca. 4.5"). An informative map of the Coast of Texas which itself contains ten maps, the largest of which covers the coast of Texas from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Orange, the easternmost city in the state. In the largest maps there is an inset in the upper right corner, showing minor details for 14 individual forts (these are numbered on the main chart). This is Plate LXV extracted from "Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies 1861-1865" (Washington: GPO, 1890) lithographed by Julius Bien. Metadata from David Rumsey: "Coast of Texas and its defenses, Capt. Tipton Walker, Chief of Topographical Bureau of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, drawn by P. Helferich, Asst. Engr. 1864. (with) Engineer Office, 10th Army Corps, sketch no. 8 of road between Bermuda Hundred and enemy's first line of intrenchments on the north and Petersburg on the south. T.B. Brooks, Maj. A.D.C. and Directing Engineer. (with Marietta, Ga., June 10-July 3, 1864). Original marked "Thomas and Schofield." (with Marietta, Ga., June 10-July 3, 1864). Original marked "Garrard." (with) Schofield crossing the Chattahoochee. (with Marietta, Ga., June 10-July 3, 1864). (with) No. 3. Sketch of defensive works at Deep Bottom, Va. (with) Section through Dutch Gap, James River, Va. (with) Plan of Dutch Gap Canal and fortifications, James River, Va., Sept. 10, 1864. P.S. Michie. (with) No. 2. Sketch of road from pontoon-bridge at Point of Rocks to Petersburg, showing line of works captured by 18th Army Corps. Julius Bien & Co., Lith., N.Y. (1891-1895)."
Sanger, Margaret
Square 8vo. 91, [1] pp. Original pink printed wrappers, stapled as issued (extremities worn and slightly soiled, lower wrapper starting to detach, exposing staples). With faults, this copy is in surprisingly good condition considering the flimsy wrappers and ephemeral nature of the work. First edition of Sanger's collection of pathbreaking articles, originally published in "New York Call" magazine, portions of which were flagged as OBSCENE and prohibited from being distributed through the U.S. Postal Service according to the Comstock Act. The book challenged state and federal obscenity laws regulating the publication of literature on sex education. In addition, it contributed to broader knowledge about sex education and reproductive health. "Sanger, a nurse and social activist, published 'What Every Girl Should Know' during a time in which U.S. federal and state obscenity laws regulated the circulation of literature related to sex. 'What Every Girl Should Know' flouted those laws, helping people learn about sex education and reproductive health in the US during the early twentieth century" (Maladi). "The content of Sanger's book conflicted with the restraints of the Comstock Act, an 1873 federal law that restricted the distribution of obscene materials through the U.S. Postal Services. In 1913, Anthony Comstock, author of the Comstock Act and a special agent of the Post Office Department, flagged one of Sanger's articles as violating the law. As a special agent of the U.S. Post Office Department, Comstock had the authority to open all mail and determine whether the contents were obscene. The Post Office Department notified the 'New York Call' that Sanger's article on gonorrhea, reflected in part two of chapter six in What Every Girl Should Know, violated the Comstock Act by containing the words gonorrhea and syphilis. The Post Office Department warned the newspaper that their mailing privileges would be revoked if they published another indecent article. On 9 February 1913, the 'New York Call' published a mostly blank page. Instead of Sanger's article on syphilis, reflected in part three of chapter six in 'What Every Girl Should Know,' Sanger's column contained the words: "Nothing! By order of the Post Office Department." However, the Post Office Department allowed the publication of the article several months later after many complaints from readers." (SOURCE: Lakshmeeramya Malladi, "What Every Girl Should Know (1916), by Margaret Sanger" in: Embryo Project Encyclopedia, 2017). UNSPOILED and UNSOPHISTICATED copies, as here, are scare in private ownership. From the Dorothy Sloan Collection of Women and Their Work.
Rosenbach, A.S.W. (collector)
A collection of 12 chapbooks in original boards or wrappers. Original Rosenbach slipcase somewhat worn but perfectly sound (spine title: "American Children's Books 1808-1828"), now superfluous as all 12 chapbooks are have been preserved individually in mylar sleeves. A collection of 12 early American chapbooks formed by Abraham Simon Wolf Rosenbach (1876-1952), at that time the leading antiquarian bookseller in America. In addition to his vast holdings and expertise in early Americana, early English literature, and American Judaica, he also became the pioneering collector and purveyor of early American children's books, the latter formed primarily by the stock he acquired from the estate of his uncle Moses Polok (following the Polok sale in March 9 and 10, 1904 -- see Wolf and Fleming, Rosenbach, p. 51). Rosenbach's 1933 bibliography remains indispensible for the study of these ephemeral pieces. CONTENTS OF THE COLLECTION: (NB: J&W = Philadelphia: Johnson & Warner; J = Philadelphia: Johnson) 1. [TOWN CRIERS / ALEXANDER ANDERSON] - "The Uncle's Present: A New Battledoor," (J, n.d. [ca. 1810]). Rosenbach 428. Original self wrappers of thick card with fore-edge flap forming an "envelope." Total of 6 panels, all with attractive illustrations of Town Criers, showing 24 letters of the alphabet ("J" and "U" omitted), in upper- and lower-case. The wood engraving of the horse is (almost invisibly) signed "A" (i.e. the venerable Alexander Anderson). 2. [ALEXANDER ANDERSON] - "The New-York Preceptor; or, Third Book" (New York: Samuel S. Wood & Sons, n.d. [ca. 1823]). Original printed boards (portion of blank margin of p. 3/4 torn away affecting a few letters, final blank leaf with small stains, but a crisp copy). Shoemaker 13569. 3. ["BE KIND TO THE POOR BLACK BOY"]. "A Picture Book, for Little Children" (Philadelphia: Kimber and Conrad, n.d. [ca. 1812]). Original cream colored stiff wrappers, textblock a little browned. Noted here apparently for the first time is the fact that the woodcut on fol. 6v was adapted from "The Wonderful Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" (specifically where Crusoe saves Friday from the cannibals) and was here used as an Abolitionist message for children. Rosenbach 466. 4. [RUDELY PRINTED] - "The Daisy" (J, 1808). Original salmon colored paper wrappers. Much of the text is printed out-of-order; some of the metal engravings are printed upside down, and on the wrong leaves! See Welch no. 1355.2 for a detailed collation note. Welch concludes that "This publisher's remainder is such a printer's botch it is doubtful that Jacob Johnson ever allowed these books to be put on sale." Rosenbach 382. 5. "The American Primer; or, An Easy Introduction to Spelling & Reading" (Philadelphia: Mathew Carey, 1813). Original printed wrappers. With an oval woodcut on front wrapper and every text page save p. 2. Rosenbach 468. 6. "The Blackbird's Nest" (J&W, 1812). Original printed boards. Remarkably crisp copy. Rosenbach 452. 7. "Village Annals" (J&W, 1814). Contemporary marbled boards, paper stock a little wrinkled. Rosenbach 514. 8. "M'Carty's American Primer" (Philadelphia: M'Carty & Davis, 1828). Original printed boards. Crisp copy. Rosenbach 714. 9. ----- Another copy (spine a trifle worn). 10. [Catherine Ann Turner Dorset]. "Think Before You Speak; or, The Three Wishes: a Tale" (J&W, 1811 [on title: "1810"]). Original printed boards (front cover detached as is almost always the case, with loss of the inside edge along sewing thread). Complete with 6 plates including frontis. (mostly browned as commonly). Rosenbach 437. 11. "Die Gefahr in den Strassen; Nebst Einigen Andern Erzahlungen" (J&W, 1810). Original salmon colored paper wrappers. Translation of "Dangers of the Street" (1808). Engraved vignette on title page by Alexander Anderson. Rosenbach 418. Bötte, First century of German language printing in the United States of America, 1770. 12. [Hannah More]. "The Search After Happiness" (J&W, 1811). Contemporary sparkled wrappers over boards (front cover starting). Frontispiece by Tanner after Stothard (browned). Rosenbach 442. The present collection formed part of a group lot of Rosenbach materials that was sold at Swann Galleries (4/7/22 lot 49) which included three other items not present here. While our group is definitely from Rosenbach, we note a group of 18 chapbooks (ex-John Fleming) that was sold at Leslie Hindman in 2021, wistfully -- but not positively -- described as "likely Rosenbach remainders."
Ademakinwa, J.A.
COMPLETE SET. Together 2 vols., 8vo. [4], 88; [4], 56 pp. Illustrated with reproductions of photographs throughout. Original printed wrappers, stapled as issued (front cover of Part II slightly stained, toning to the text and wrappers of both parts). RARE FIRST EDITION OF AN IMPORTANT CHRONICLE OF THE ANCIENT AND POWERFUL YORUBA PEOPLE AND THEIR RELIGIOUS PRACTICES, WRITTEN BY AN INDIGENE ETHNOGRAPHER, AND ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS, MANY OF WHICH ARE PUBLISHED HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME. As a result of the Atlantic slave trade, the Yoruba religion formed the basis of a number of "New World" beliefs and practices, such as Santeria and Vodun, in the Caribbean, Latin America, and beyond. Indeed, the Yoruba's faith spread throughout the African diaspora, and their faith in the Orisha (intermediaries between humankind and the supernatural) has been intensely syncretized with Christianity and indiginous religions, from Brazil to Haiti, and from New Orleans to Brooklyn. That the present work remains of continued interest is attested by the (greatly inferior) 2014 reprint. Because it was printed in Nigeria by the author himself (the Nigerian civil war notwithstanding), it is hardly surprising that this first edition is rare. Extensive searching in KVK, Copac, and Worldcat produces the following locations worldwide: Vols. 1-2. Northwestern, Berlin Staatliche Museum, Bodleian, University of Birmingham, Bavarian State Library; Vol. 1 (only): King's College London, Leiden Univ.; Vol. 2 (only): East Anglia University.
Joe Migon (photographer)
Photograph (ca. 230 x 190 mm; 9 3/16 x 7 3/8"), outer edges irregularly cut, image marked with printer's instructions; on verso a pasted newspaper reproduction of the photograph (see below) similarly marked. Photo creased and wrinkled with some short tears. EXTRAORDINARY AND ICONIC ARTIFACT, BEING AN ORIGINAL PRESS PHOTO OF THE EXECUTION OF JAMES "MAD DOG" MORELLI, TAKEN CLANDESTINELY BY TWO REPORTERS WHO SMUGGLED A TINY CAMERA INTO THE JAIL. On the verso of our photograph is a clipping from the Chicago Herald-American (now Chicago American), the original source of the photo, and is stamped by the newspaper 7 December 1949, and again 25 June 1959. The caption reads: "A photo that stirred the nation and was widely hailed as a deterrent to crime -- James Morelli dies in the electric chair. The photo is unretouched." BACKGROUND: The execution of notorious gangster James "Mad-Dog" Morelli in Chicago on Nov. 26, 1949 made newspaper headlines because -- contrary to law -- it was captured on film. This was about two decades after a similar incident in New York's Sing Sing prison, prompting major changes to execution access in America, including mandatory X-ray screening for all witnesses. To circumvent discovery, Chicaco Herald-American photographer Anthony Beraldi and staff reporter Joe Migon hid a loaded Minox 3" x 1" x 3/4" camera inside the heel of Migon's shoe (the insole protected the undeveloped film from the Inspectroscope). Migon snapped off four shots on fast panchromatic film at 1/5th second speed. Cook County Jail superintendent Chester Fordney declared that the photo was a fake, but his arguments are not universally accepted. A full account of the logistics of the present photograph is given in the March 1950 issue of "Popular Photography" (p. 86) which states that Migon's photos, "used in the Herald-American and serviced to other papers by the INP, again pointed out that 'Crime Does Not Pay.'" COMMENT: Whereas the present photograph was published in newspapers around the world, according to a 2009 survey of criminologists revealed that 88% believe the death penalty was NOT a deterrent to murder (SOURCE: Amnesty International USA website: "The Death Penalty and Deterrence" posted May 18, 2017). The same source provides documentation that the murder rate in non-Death Penalty states has remained consistently lower than the rate in states with the Death Penalty. Therefore, the present photograph figures prominently in the discussion of capital punishment in the United States. PROVENANCE: Potter Auctions 11/20/21 lot 270. This is the only example we have located at auction.
[Vernacular photo album]
Small album (4" by 5.5"), containing 12 unnumbered black (blank) leaves, with seven (7) original photographs affixed to the leaves within paper corner mounts; each photo is captioned in MS in white ink in French in the margins. Album: contemporary "faux crocodile skin" embossed paper boards, fastened with brown cord (minor surface rubbing and wear to extremities). AN UNSETTLING AND VISCERAL EXAMPLE OF 1938 COLONIALISM AND MISSIONARY WORK INFUSED BY ADULTS INTO CHILD'S PLAY. In this small photo album are seven (7) photos of very yound Belgian girls, three of whom are being groomed to become missionaries in Africa, and four have been painted in blackface and adorned in shawls, pretending to be Africans ready for conversion to Christianity. The captions and photos are arranged sequentially, and tell the story of three missionary nuns who went "chez les n___rillons." NB: then, as now, this word is derogatory and diminutive; it could be translated as "pickaninny" or "little n____rs." The handwritten captions of the photos are as follows: 1. Vocation précoce! avril 1939. ("Early calling! April 1938"). 2. Il est 3 missionaires. ("There are 3 missionaries.") 3. Qui vont partir chez les n___rillons. ("Who are going to go to the home of the little n____rs.") 4. avant de nous envoler vers le soleil ("before we fly towards the sun") 5. d'afrique, goûtons le soleil de Belgique. ("of Africa, let's taste the Belgian sun") 6. Missionnaire d'un jour ("Missionary for a day") 7. La plus jeune missionnaire des Dames de Marie Soeur Marie Simonne 7 ans 1/2 ("The youngest missionary of the Ladies of Mary [is] Sister Marie Simonne 7 1/2 years old). MUST BE SEEN TO BE FULLY APPRECIATED.
MENDELL, Sarah and Charlotte HOSMER
8vo. Original publisher's cloth (spine chipped at head and tail, cloth covers sunned, library label removed from spine, other early library markings for which see below). A good and tight copy. THE ORIGINS OF THE INDEPENDENT WOMAN BOOK AGENT IN AMERICA, AND "A REAL CONTRIBUTION TO AMERICAN TRAVEL LITERATURE" (Clark). This fascinating work has been shamefully ignored by scholars of the American 19th-century, and merits careful reading by students, scholars, and all persons interested in the book trade, slavery, unmarried "working women" traveling alone, and the patriarchal culture they could not escape. Underappreciated is the role of women in the distribution of American books before, during, and after the Civil War; thanks to "lady agents," the book market was expanded while simultaneously threatening existing cultural practices. Female book agents encountered stereotypes and denigration, and yet to a small degree, book canvassing granted at least means of living to unmarried American women, who sought a path less stifling than the two pervailing ones, namely: 1) marry; or 2) die. The present volume contains beautiful (unsigned) letters written by both Mendell and Hosmer, who in 1853 traveled up and down the East Coast in the capacity of book canvassers, teachers, and governesses. Starting in the Ellensburg, NY, the reader is taken by foot, carriage and train through upstate New York, Canada, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, back to New York, and on to Boston. Many letters were written from the South and concern slavery; in one instance the author attempts to sell a copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) to a lady of Richmond, VA. Although critical of slavery, the authors reported the slaves were apparently "well clad, and appear well fed and happy" (p. 249; see also pp. 185-186 and 204-206). On p. 110 the author meets her "mate," Miss Charlotte Hosmer, an orphan girl "who desires to be my traveling companion and partner in the book business." At that time Hosmer was engaged as a governess in New Jersey; as it turns out, the family would not release her from her bond and she could not meet the author in Washington, as planned. Mendell turns to teaching and erstwhile a governess herself, before returning to book canvassing. That the letters are unsigned is unfortunate, but this omission does not detract from the book's excellent content. Our copy has interesting contemporary annotations on pp. 109, 120, 121 which suggests that the inscriber may have had some knowledge of Sarah Mendell. Furthermore, it has a long and intriguing provenance. There is a strictly contemporary inscription on first blank: Jane M. (Marie, née Mills) Bingham (1821-1894), "Presented by Miss Mendell, sister of one of the authors, in the name of her sister now deceased, Adams, NY [18]55." --> likely bequeathed to her daughter Jane (nickname "Jennie") Bingham (1859-1933), author and litterateur who was featured in "A Woman of the Century" for her charitable work --> her gift to Folts Mission Institute Library (in Herkimer, NY located 80 miles northwest of Albany, now defunct) with bookplate and accession number [?] on Dedication page (now partially erased); the Institute was a Methodist training school for young women (Bingham taught there and was a great benefactor of the library); the Institute ended operations in 1928 --> Dorothy Sloan Collection of Women and Their Work. Howes M-513. Sabin 47798. Clark III, 361. See Natalie Jean Marine-Street, "'Agents Wanted': Sales, Gender, and the Making of Consumer Markets in America, 1830-1930"â(Stanford UniversityâPhD dissertationâ2016), especially Chapter 1: "A 'New Avenue to Industry and Independence': The Emergence of the Lady Book Agent."
Anonymous Indian Artist
Two paintings on manuscript leaves (ca. 260 x 170 mm), both hinged on plexiglas so that the verso is visible, both matted (matte size: 400 x 270 mm). Manuscript leaves significantly worm-damaged and repaired, nonetheless these are both ttractive paintings, beautifully rendered. Two delicate Indian paintings that were likely made for the tourist trade, painted on manuscript leaves that have nothing to do with the images. The Arabic text above the painting of the right-facing nobleman is from Ibn Sina (Avicenna)'s "Shifa" (The Book of Healing), Part 3, Chapter 9 ("On Natural Sciences"). The manuscript on which it was painted is Ibn Sina's "Shifa" as well (the manuscript is difficult to date: it may be as early as the 16th century but is more likely to belong to the 19th). On the other leaf (the nobleman facing left), the text above the painting is from a different section of the "Shifa," Part 2, Chapter 6. We admire the delicate colors of the painting, particularly the modelling of the faces and hair, and the application of the golt. Suitable for exhibition and study. We are grateful to Kelley Tuttle for her characteristically excellent cataloguing assistance.
Together two chromolithographs (287 x 212 mm), loose in mylar L-sleeve (plate XVI with short marginal tear at top, not affecting image). Our prints have VERY LITTLE offsetting which almost invarably spoils the illustrations of this publication and is SUITABLE FOR FRAMING. The are original prints, NOT reproductions! AN EXCELLENT PAIR OF AMERICAN HAWK CHROMOLITHOGRAPHS from the famed "Pacific Railroad Surveys" of 1853-1855. "The ornithological studies produced from the Railroad Surveys were of such outstanding quality that they were republished in 1860 under the aegis of the Smithsonian Institution. Entitled 'The Birds of North America,' the illustrations and text by Spencer Baird are still considered to be among the best of the early ornithological works on American birds." (Brown University, The Robert S. and Margaret A. Ames Collection of Illustrated Books, online). The plates here are: Vol. XII, Book 2, Plate XI: Falco Nigricepsl (Duck Hawk, or Peregrine Falcon); Vol. XII, Book 2, Plate XVI: Cooper Hawk, or "California Hawk."
Two prints, matted and framed (frame sizes approx. 460 x 360 mm, visible portions: approx. 293 x 207). One print with dampstaining along left side (SEE IMAGE). These are original prints, NOT reproductions! TWO OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL TERRACOTTA PRINTS OF ETRUSCAN VASES FROM WILLIAM HAMILTON'S SECOND COLLECTION. Hamilton actually formed two collections of Greek vases; the first he sold to the British Museum. The present prints depict vases from his second collection, part of which was lost at sea. The surviving portion was sold to Thomas Hope. Our prints belong to the 1801-1803 Florence Société Calcographique edition of the "Peintures des vases antiques / Pitture de vasi antichi" (1801-1803) which is distinguished by the sumptuous TERRACOTTA printed ground onto which the black ink was applied directly (one has handpainted with highlights). Hamilton's second collection was first made known to the public through the greatly inferior UNCOLORED outlines of the vase designs, published in Wilhelm Tischbein's "Collection of Engravings from Ancient Vases [.] discovered in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies [.] now in the possession of Sir William Hamilton" (Naples, 1791-1795). As is well known, Hamilton's first collection was published in the famed "Collection of Etruscan,Greek and Roman Antiquities from the cabinet of the Honble. Wm. Hamilton" (in French: "Antiquités étrusques, grecques, et romaines tirées du cabinet de M. Hamilton" (1766-67) compiled by Pierre Francois Hugues (called d'Hancarville). The Société Calcographique prints are often (mis)attributed to the better-known d'Hancarville series; even Christie's London experts did so in the catalogue of their 13 Jun 2018 sale (lot 41, a collection of nine frame prints); despite this error, the lot nonetheless realized GBP 10,000 (!).
Three matted paintings (matte size: 323 x 266; leaf size: 215 x 145 mm; visible image: 170 x 115 mm), hinged to clear Plexiglas so that the manuscript texts on the versos are perfectly legible. Leaves with some soiling, edges slightly frayed along inner gutter margins. A remarkable assemblage of three erotic Indian paintings, all of have been executed on the same unidentified Urdu manuscript. The settings are intriguing, and the subjects are set within brooding, fantastical landscapes, alongside a stream (or lake) festooned with lily pads and lotus flowers. They depict: 1. A woman holding a large ejaculating phallus; 2. A flying phallus carrying a basket of four phalluses, accompanied by a winged vagina; 3. A man holding a bowl couples with a four-armed goddess, presumably a devotee of Kali: in her hands she holds a sword, a spear, and an ax, in the fourth a lotus flower. All three paintings were finely rendered by an artist of considerable skill. This are are very high quality pieces. THE MANUSCRIPT one which the paintings appear was written in Urdu and has resisted identification. As always, we are grateful to Kelly Tuttle for her scholarly generosity. MUST BE SEEN TO BE FULLY APPRECIATED.
Complete set: 4 volumes in original two-tone cloth, black leather label on spines. Preserved in 2 slipcases with separate compartments for each volume (trifle wear to slipcases and spine label of vol. 1; internally excellent with no unsightly markings or stamps). NOT ex-library! LIMITED TO 500 SETS. Complete copies such as ours are now scarce on the market. Of considerable bibliographic and historic interest, this impressive achievement minutely describes 160 printed works (Vols. 1-2) and 149 manuscripts in the collection, beginning chronologically with Apollonius (circa 1225), and ending with Thomas Taylor (1790). A splendid catalogue that includes detailed bibliographical descriptions for each of the 160 printed books; each is described with painstaking accuracy, and appears with illustrations. In Vols. 3-4, the 149 manuscripts are minutely described (most of these were purchased by Mellon from Denis Duveen). These four volumes represent some of the "crown jewels" in the kingdom of hermetic bibliography, and continue to inspire and inform students and scholars of Witchcraft, Wicca, Pagan Ritual, Occult, folklore, anthropology, primitive races and customs, Mythology, Ancient Magical Practices, Ritual and Initiation, Secret Societies, Rosicrucian Egyptology, Ancient Magical practices, Aleister Crowley, Andrew Chumbley, Ceremonial and Black Magic, Grimoire, O.T.O. Golden Dawn, Alchemy Hermetics, Freemasonry, Kabalah, Cabala, Kenneth Grant, Austin Osman Spare, Chaos Magick, Church of Satan, Anton LaVey, Michael Aquino, Temple of Set, Demonology, Satanism, and more. From the famed B.H. Breslauer collection (sale of the Bibliotheca Bibliographica Breslaueriana at Christie's New York, 27 June 2005, lot 1582), with letterpress bookplates loosely inserted into each volume. PLEASE NOTE: together these four volumes weigh a staggering 29 lbs. and will require additional shipping charges.
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