Martial Achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies; from 1799 to 1815, The
London: Printed for Js. Jenkins… by L. Harrison & J.C. Leigh, [1814-15]. Item #03340
A Spectacular Multiple-State Copy Showing the Complete Evolution of Forty-Nine Aquatint Plates
[JENKINS, James]. [HEATH, William, artist]. The Martial Achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies; From 1799 to 1815. London: Printed for Js. Jenkins… by L. Harrison & J.C. Leigh, [1814-1815].
First edition. An exceptional copy with forty-nine of the fifty-two plates in three states.
Large quarto (13 1/8 x 11 inches; 335 x 277 mm.). Engraved vignette title-page (verso blank); engraved dedication leaf to the Duke of Wellington in two states, uncolored and colored; dedication to the Duke of Wellington, 2 pp.; Description of Vignette Title (verso blank); Introduction, 4 pp.; Contents (list of plates), 2 pp.; 60 unnumbered leaves of text; List of Subscribers, 4 pp.
Extra colored impression of plate 35, "Siege of St. Sebastian," bound as an additional frontispiece, together with fifty-two hand-colored aquatint plates, including the frontispiece (described as the vignette title), dedication leaf, and fifty-one views of military actions and battles engraved by T. Sutherland, D. Havell, M. Dubourg, J. Hill and others after drawings by William Heath. Forty-nine of the plates are present in three states - outline, uncolored aquatint, and finished hand-colored impressions. The remaining two plates (nos. 11 and 18) are present in two states, uncolored and hand-colored.
Plates watermarked "J. Whatman 1812"; text watermarked "J. Whatman 1812." The uncolored and colored dedication leaves to the Duke of Wellington are watermarked respectively "J. Whatman 1818" and "J. Whatman 1820," while plate 42, "Blowing up of the Bridge at Elster," bears the watermark "J. Whatman 1820."
Contemporary maroon scored calf, covers elaborately paneled in gilt. Expertly rebacked (circa fifty years ago) with the original spine laid down. Spine with five raised bands, decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt, gilt board edges and turn-ins, red cloth endpapers, all edges gilt. Bookplate of Joel Spitz on the front pastedown. Housed in a fleece-lined red buckram slipcase.
A remarkable copy illustrating almost the entire creative process of one of the great British military color-plate books.
The progression from outline proofs, through finished aquatint impressions, to the completed hand-colored plates offers an unusually vivid record of the methods employed by the leading color-plate engravers of the period.
Abbey recorded a copy in the original thirteen monthly parts (December 1814 through December 1815), but with the plates only in their finished colored state. He makes no mention of copies containing multiple states of the plates.
Tooley alone notes the existence of such copies, observing that "copies exist with the plates in three states." The present example appears to be one of those exceedingly rare specially assembled copies and is among the most complete examples encountered.
Provenance: acquired from Ackermann, Chicago, in 1944.
Excessively rare. The last copy with the plates in three states located at auction appeared nearly forty years ago.
In his discussion of color-plate books devoted to Wellington and Waterloo - "a literature in themselves" -Prideaux singled out this work and Jenkins's companion volume, Naval Achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies (1817), as works "worthy of their theme; nor could one desire a finer record of heroic deeds."
William Heath (1794–1840) is best remembered today for his caricatures published under the pseudonym "Paul Pry," but his earliest and most ambitious productions were military subjects. The Martial Achievements is generally regarded as the finest and most important of his military publications.
Abbey Life 365; Prideaux, p. 34; Ogilby, British Military Costume Prints, 498; Tooley 281 ("Copies exist with the plates in three states").
Price: $13,500.00