Engraving of Mary Bertie (1735-1793), Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven and Mistress of the Robes to Queen Charlotte, based on a portrait by Joshua Reynolds (1723-92) for Robert Sayer, priced £490 at Grosvenor Prints.
Out on September 7, the catalogue is also the dealership’s listing for Firsts: London’s Rare Books Fair (September 16-18) and contains the usual breadth of subjects including portraits, satire, views of the UK and overseas, sporting and ephemera.
Shown here is a scarce engraving of Mary Bertie (1735-1793), Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven, and Mistress of the Robes to Queen Charlotte, based on a portrait by Joshua Reynolds (1723-92).
On 18th century watch paper, the 2¾ x 2½in (7 x 6.5cm) medallion portrait was printed for the publisher and print seller Robert Sayer in Fleet Street in c.1760. It is priced at £490.
Also offered, available at £850, is The White Lily with Variegated-leaves, a hand-finished coloured aquatint from Dr Robert John Thornton’s Temple of Flora (1799-1807).
It is regarded as the finest English colour-plate flower book and was the first series of flower prints to show the subject within a habitat. The white lily is depicted growing under the shadow of trees with a Grecian temple beyond.
