Mezzotint rare books

Group of six mezzotint engravings, printed in colour and finished by hand.
Framed and glazed, overall size: 48 x 36 cm.

Eighteen hand-coloured mezzotint engravings of Aloes in decorative pots. Framed and glazed in handmade gold leaf frames, overall size: 28cm by 42cm by 3.5cm.

First edition, one of 160 copies, folio (71 x 54 cm), half-title, title, 52 ff; 23 mezzotint plates, including engraved title, of which 19 coloured, of which 1 double page; in addition 9 illustrations printed to text, of which 2 coloured, a little spotting and foxing, handsome modern red half morocco gilt, an attractive example.

2 volumes. Folio. (36.4 x 52 cm). Each volume with sheet of thick card with elaborate manuscript title, vol. number and list of plates in black ink and 71 etched mezzotint and aquatint plates (vol. I with plates numbered 1 - 35, vol. II with 36 - 71) printed in warm sanguine or sepia ink on uncut sheets of laid or wove paper as applicable with stab marks at left and retaining deckle edges, each plate mounted to sheet of card with passepartout, pencil numeration to passepartouts at lower right. Plates by J. M. W. Turner (10 plates), I. C. Easling (4), C. Turner (23), W. Say (11), R. Dunkarton (5), Thos. Lupton (4), S. W. Reynolds (2), F. C. Lewis (1), W. Annis (1), H. Dawe (4), Th. Hodgetts (3), Annis and Easling (1) and G. Clint (2) after J. M. W. Turner. One plate with several old repairs, occasional foxing or soiling; several plates with pencil annotations recto or verso in various hands. Various sheet sizes: c.300 x 440 mm; mount size: 344 x 508 mm. Contemporary green morocco portfolios by Agnew & Sons with their partial label to front pastedown of vol. I, front boards with rules in gilt and blind with floral corner tools, titles gilt to spines, cream glazed board lining and flaps, turn-ins ruled in gilt, green silk ties.