Eleazar Albin
A natural history of birds, 1731-1734, 2 volumes, contemporary calf gilt
Found at
Sothebys,
London
The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I, Lot 2
6. May - 18. May 2022
The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I, Lot 2
6. May - 18. May 2022
Estimate: 1.500 - 2.000 GBP
Price realised: 6.930 GBP
Price realised: 6.930 GBP
Description
Eleazar Albin
A natural history of birds, illustrated with a hundred and one copper plates, curiously engraven from the life (... with a hundred and four copper plates... vol. II). London: for the author, to be sold by William Innys, John Clarke and John Brindley, 1731-1734
2 volumes (of 3), 4to (290 x 226mm.), two lists of subscribers, 101 & 104 hand-coloured engraved plates, contemporary calf gilt (plausibly by John Brindley), spine gilt in compartments, red morocco lettering-pieces, a few plates slightly shaved at fore-edge, occasional very light foxing, spines slightly chipped at head, joints starting to crack
FIRST EDITION of Albin's work on birds, THE FIRST BIRD BOOK WITH COLOUR PLATES. The text accompanying the plates was minimal and mostly taken from other sources, as Albin was an artist rather than an ornithologist, but it was still considered a handsome publication. A third volume was issued in 1738.
The colouring of the plates in Albin's books was usually executed by the author and his daughter Elizabeth.
LITERATURE:
ESTC T64477 & T64478; Nissen IVB 14 (all 3 volumes)
PROVENANCE:
price £7-7-0 on flyleaf; William Fellowes, 2nd Lord de Ramsey (1848-1925), father-in-law to Henry Rogers Broughton, bookplates with crested monogram WF
A natural history of birds, illustrated with a hundred and one copper plates, curiously engraven from the life (... with a hundred and four copper plates... vol. II). London: for the author, to be sold by William Innys, John Clarke and John Brindley, 1731-1734
2 volumes (of 3), 4to (290 x 226mm.), two lists of subscribers, 101 & 104 hand-coloured engraved plates, contemporary calf gilt (plausibly by John Brindley), spine gilt in compartments, red morocco lettering-pieces, a few plates slightly shaved at fore-edge, occasional very light foxing, spines slightly chipped at head, joints starting to crack
FIRST EDITION of Albin's work on birds, THE FIRST BIRD BOOK WITH COLOUR PLATES. The text accompanying the plates was minimal and mostly taken from other sources, as Albin was an artist rather than an ornithologist, but it was still considered a handsome publication. A third volume was issued in 1738.
The colouring of the plates in Albin's books was usually executed by the author and his daughter Elizabeth.
LITERATURE:
ESTC T64477 & T64478; Nissen IVB 14 (all 3 volumes)
PROVENANCE:
price £7-7-0 on flyleaf; William Fellowes, 2nd Lord de Ramsey (1848-1925), father-in-law to Henry Rogers Broughton, bookplates with crested monogram WF
Artwork auctioned at three times the upper estimate price
When the work A natural history of birds, 1731-1734, 2 volumes, contemporary calf gilt by Eleazar Albin was auctioned at Sothebys in London in May last year, the result exceeded expectations many times over. The upper estimate was set at a - in retrospect quite modest - GBP 2,000.00 but the actual price achieved was more than three times as high at GBP 6,930.00 (€ 8,152.49). Despite this good result, it is not the highest hammer price for an artwork by Eleazar Albin; that achieved among the auctions we observed the lot A natural history of birds [and A natural history of English insects, 1738-1749, 4 volumes, contemporary calf|AID711744] sold at auction in May last year with the realized price of GBP 12,600.00 (€ 14,822.70).
Kunstwerk zum Dreifachen des oberen Schätzpreises versteigert
Als die Arbeit A natural history of birds, 1731-1734, 2 volumes, contemporary calf gilt von Eleazar Albin im Mai letzten Jahres bei Sothebys in London versteigert wurde, übertraf das Ergebnis die Erwartungen um ein Vielfaches. Der obere Schätzpreis war mit – rückwirkend betrachtet recht bescheidenen – GBP 2.000,00 angesetzt, der tatsächlich erzielte Preis hingegen war mit GBP 6.930,00 (€ 8.152,49) mehr als dreimal so hoch. Trotz des guten Ergebnisses ist dies nicht der höchste Zuschlag für ein Kunstwerk von Eleazar Albin; den erzielte unter den von uns beobachteten Auktionen die Arbeit A natural history of birds [and A natural history of English insects, 1738-1749, 4 volumes, contemporary calf|AID711744] im Mai letzten Jahres mit dem Hammerpreis von GBP 12.600,00 (€ 14.822,70).
Eleazar Albin - Auction history
![Eleazar Albin - A natural history of birds [and] A natural history of English insects, 1738-1749, 4 volumes, contemporary calf](/images/eleazar-albin_a-natural-history-of-birds-and-a-natural-history-of-english-insects-1738-1749-4-volumes-contemporary-calf_AID711744_320x320.jpg)
![Eleazar Albin - [Moths and Butterflies]: Two Plates](/images/eleazar-albin_moths-and-butterflies-two-plates_AID647199_320x320.jpg)
![Henry Andrews - The botanist\'s repository, London, 1797 [-1812], 10 volumes, green armorial morocco gilt](/images/henry-andrews_the-botanists-repository-london-1797-1812-10-volumes-green-armorial-morocco-gilt_AID711766_320x320.jpg)
![Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot - Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux de l\'Amerique Septentrionale, Paris, 1807 [-1808], 2 volumes](/images/louis-jean-pierre-vieillot_histoire-naturelle-des-oiseaux-de-lamerique-septentrionale-paris-1807-1808-2-volumes_AID711708_320x320.jpg)
![Johann Conrad Susemihl - Teutsche Ornithologie, [Darmstadt, 1837-1841], 2 volumes](/images/johann-conrad-susemihl_teutsche-ornithologie-darmstadt-1837-1841-2-volumes_AID711695_320x320.jpg)
![Thomas Rowlandson - Loyal Volunteers of London & Environs... [London, 1799]](/images/thomas-rowlandson_loyal-volunteers-of-london-environs-london-1799_AID711663_320x320.jpg)
![Pierre-Joseph Redouté - An album of botanical engravings, [no date]](/images/pierre-joseph-redoute_an-album-of-botanical-engravings-no-date_AID711647_320x320.jpg)
