Hamilton, Sir William (1730-1803),and D'Harcanville, Hugues

Description:

Hamilton, Sir William (1730-1803),and D'Harcanville, Hugues,Collection of Etruscan, Greek and Roman Antiquities from the Cabinet of the Honorable Wm. Hamilton His Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Naples, Naples, 1766-67, printed by Francesco Morelli, four volumes, gilt lettered full diced calf with foliate gilt spine and raised bands, eight hand-colored engraved title pages, five engraved dedication pages and 436 plates, 183 of which are hand-colored and seventy-nine double page, the text also with engraved vignettes, folio, (bindings scuffed, interior extremely bright, clean and crisp). Cohen-de Ricci 474, Blackmer 845, Brunet I, 321. Note: The seminal and most important and beautiful work on Classical antiquities published in the 18th century and very rare to find in its complete form. As British Ambassador to Naples during the early age of the Classical revival, Sir William Hamilton was well placed to assemble this extraordinary collection of antique vases. Mostly purchased from the Porcinari family, he utilized the skills of Hugues D'Harcanville to catalog and document each item before they were shipped back to England. Under D'Harcanville's direction, this Herculean task resulted in a triumphant expression of the beauty of ancient art as expressed in vase painting.
Estimate $70,000-90,000

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