ALKEN, Henry

Fox Hunting

London: Thomas Mc.Lean, 1823. Item #03351

Four Magnificent Hand Colored Aquatint Plates, All Heightened With Gum Arabic
Showing the Full Sweep of the Hunt Across the Rolling English Countryside…

ALKEN, Henry. Fox Hunting. London: Thomas Mc.Lean, 1823.

First edition. Oblong folio (13 5/8 x 17 7/8 inches; 347 x 454 mm.). An untitled series of four superb plates etched by Henry Alken and aquatinted by G. Hunt. The plates printed in color and finished by hand, all heightened with gum arabic. Average plate image size 10 7/8 x 16 1/16 inches: 277 x 408 mm. All with the imprint "London. Published by Thomas Mc.Lean. 26 Haymarket, 1823." Margins of plates very slightly browned but still a magnificent series of plates showing the full sweep of the hunt across the rolling English countryside, with outstanding coloring.

Bound into an album for the Lakeside Press Chicago ca. 1930 (stamp-signed on front turn-in) in half orange morocco over gray paper boards ruled in gilt. Front cover with shield shaped blue morocco label lettered in gilt, smooth spine lettered in gilt, pale gray endpapers. Bookplate of Joel Spitz on front paste-down.

Very rare. We can find no other record of this set of four. There was no copy in the Fitz Eugene Dixon sale (Anderson Galleries, New York, 1937).

Provenance: purchased in Paris, 1947.

The plates:

1. The Cover.
2. Full Cry.
3. Check.
4. The Death.

Mellon/Snelgrove, Alken 19 (listed as "A set of four"); Siltzer p. 60; Wilder, English Sporting Prints, p. 219.

Price: $6,000.00