The Grave: a poem by Robert Blair illustrated with Twelve Etchings Executed from Original Designs
by Robert Blair, William Blake illus
- Used
- Very Good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very Good/None
- Seller
-
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Very good complete copy of the true second edition of a masterpiece of book illustration by William Blake, 1813.
Engraved portrait frontispiece of William Blake by Luigi Schiavonetti after the portrait by Thomas Phillips
With 12 beautiful designs by William Blake: vignette on engraved title page and 11 full-page plates, engraved by Luigi Schiavonetti.
The Skeleton Re-animated (IX, on title page)
Christ descending into the Grave (I)
Death of the Strong Wicked Man (IV)
The Soul hovering over the Body reluctantly parting with Life (VI)
The Soul exploring the recesses of the Grave (VII)
The Descent of Man into the Vale of Death (II)
The Counseller, King, Warrior, Mother and Child in the Tomb (VIII)
The Day of Judgment (XII)
The Death of the Good Old Man (V)
The Meeting of the Family in Heaven (XI)
The Reunion of the Soul and the Body (X)
Death's Door (III)
Signed in manuscript on the half-title by American writer and editor "Horace E. Scudder May 1864"
1-page dedication to the Queen by William Blake, 8-page list of subscribers (from 1808 issue), 2-page advertisement by the publisher Cromek, 2-page remarks by artist Henry Fuseli, biographical sketch of poet Robert Blair, 14-page biographical sketch of engraver L. Schiavonetti, 10-page biographical sketch of Robert Hartley Cromek, 37-page text of poem and 4-page article on Blake's designs.
"The pictorial embellishments in this edition of the poem are perfectly worthy of its subject. The painter who produced the designs is allowed to possess great powers: his pencil, imbued with the fiery genius and bold correctness of a Michael Angelo, is directed by the boundless imagination of a Dante." (Cromek, in the Life of Blair, page xxix)
"In October 1805, William Blake was commissioned by the engraver and would-be publisher Robert H. Cromek to prepare forty drawings illustrating the popular "graveyard" school poem first published in 1743. In Cromek's first prospectus of November 1805, Blake is named as both the designer and engraver of fifteen designs. In a second prospectus, also from November 1805, Cromek announced that Luigi Schiavonetti would engrave twelve designs for the new edition. Blake had lost the lucrative commission to engrave his own designs; and his relationship with Cromek descended into anger and argument. In spite of their disagreement, Cromek included a portrait of Blake as a frontispiece to the volume, published in 1808. Cromek promoted the book aggressively and the illustrations to The Grave became Blake's best known work through much of the nineteenth century." (William Blake Archive)
Thomas Philips was an English portrait painter, 1770-1845.
Luigi or Lewis Schiavonetti was an Italian engraver and etcher, 1765-1810.
Full red morocco binding by Charles Hering, 10 St Martin's Street, with his ticket, with elaborate gilt tooling on spine and boards, some scratches and scuffs to boards, interior clean and fresh, bright impressions of the plates with no foxing, a few finger smudges outside the plate, some toning to the text pages facing the engravings.
Rare to find the true second edition in such good condition (another edition dated [1813] was issued by John Camden Hotten in 1870).
Engraved portrait frontispiece of William Blake by Luigi Schiavonetti after the portrait by Thomas Phillips
With 12 beautiful designs by William Blake: vignette on engraved title page and 11 full-page plates, engraved by Luigi Schiavonetti.
The Skeleton Re-animated (IX, on title page)
Christ descending into the Grave (I)
Death of the Strong Wicked Man (IV)
The Soul hovering over the Body reluctantly parting with Life (VI)
The Soul exploring the recesses of the Grave (VII)
The Descent of Man into the Vale of Death (II)
The Counseller, King, Warrior, Mother and Child in the Tomb (VIII)
The Day of Judgment (XII)
The Death of the Good Old Man (V)
The Meeting of the Family in Heaven (XI)
The Reunion of the Soul and the Body (X)
Death's Door (III)
Signed in manuscript on the half-title by American writer and editor "Horace E. Scudder May 1864"
1-page dedication to the Queen by William Blake, 8-page list of subscribers (from 1808 issue), 2-page advertisement by the publisher Cromek, 2-page remarks by artist Henry Fuseli, biographical sketch of poet Robert Blair, 14-page biographical sketch of engraver L. Schiavonetti, 10-page biographical sketch of Robert Hartley Cromek, 37-page text of poem and 4-page article on Blake's designs.
"The pictorial embellishments in this edition of the poem are perfectly worthy of its subject. The painter who produced the designs is allowed to possess great powers: his pencil, imbued with the fiery genius and bold correctness of a Michael Angelo, is directed by the boundless imagination of a Dante." (Cromek, in the Life of Blair, page xxix)
"In October 1805, William Blake was commissioned by the engraver and would-be publisher Robert H. Cromek to prepare forty drawings illustrating the popular "graveyard" school poem first published in 1743. In Cromek's first prospectus of November 1805, Blake is named as both the designer and engraver of fifteen designs. In a second prospectus, also from November 1805, Cromek announced that Luigi Schiavonetti would engrave twelve designs for the new edition. Blake had lost the lucrative commission to engrave his own designs; and his relationship with Cromek descended into anger and argument. In spite of their disagreement, Cromek included a portrait of Blake as a frontispiece to the volume, published in 1808. Cromek promoted the book aggressively and the illustrations to The Grave became Blake's best known work through much of the nineteenth century." (William Blake Archive)
Thomas Philips was an English portrait painter, 1770-1845.
Luigi or Lewis Schiavonetti was an Italian engraver and etcher, 1765-1810.
Full red morocco binding by Charles Hering, 10 St Martin's Street, with his ticket, with elaborate gilt tooling on spine and boards, some scratches and scuffs to boards, interior clean and fresh, bright impressions of the plates with no foxing, a few finger smudges outside the plate, some toning to the text pages facing the engravings.
Rare to find the true second edition in such good condition (another edition dated [1813] was issued by John Camden Hotten in 1870).
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Details
- Bookseller
- Florilegius (JP)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- Flo259
- Title
- The Grave
- Author
- Robert Blair, William Blake illus
- Illustrator
- William Blake, Luigi Schiavonetti
- Format/Binding
- Full leather with gilt decoration, a.e.g.
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- None
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 2nd
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- T. Bensley for Rudolph Ackermann
- Place of Publication
- 101 Strand, London
- Date Published
- 1813
- Size
- Quarto, 35 x 28cm
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- William Blake, Luigi Schiavonetti, The Grave, Robert Blair, engraving, copperplate, art, design, Regency, Georgian, artist, Rudolph Ackermann
- Bookseller catalogs
- Art;
Terms of Sale
Florilegius
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Florilegius
Biblio member since 2019
Tokyo, Tokyo
About Florilegius
Tokyo-based bookseller specializing in European illustrated books from the 18th to 19th century, mainly botanical, zoological, costume and travel. Also Japanese ukiyo-e and woodblock botanicals, flower arrangement, etc.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Vignette
- A decorative design or illustration placed at the beginning or end of a ...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Plate
- Full page illustration or photograph. Plates are printed separately from the text of the book, and bound in at production. I.e.,...
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...