![Moses Harris - The Aurelian, or natural history of English insects, London, 1766 [1773], calf](/images/moses-harris_the-aurelian-or-natural-history-of-english-insects-london-1766-1773-calf_AID711564.jpg?f=grey)
Moses Harris
The Aurelian, or natural history of English insects, London, 1766 [1773], calf
Found at
Sothebys,
London
The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I, Lot 101
6. May - 18. May 2022
The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I, Lot 101
6. May - 18. May 2022
Estimate: 5.000 - 7.000 GBP
Price realised: 6.048 GBP
Price realised: 6.048 GBP
Description
Moses Harris
The Aurelian: or, natural history of British insects, namely, moths and butterflies. Together with the plants on which they feed. London: for the author, 1766 [1773]
First edition, second issue, folio (470 x 282mm.), large paper copy, engraved vignette on title-page, engraved coloured schematic plate in preliminaries, 44 hand-coloured engraved plates (the final plate dated 1773, all watermarked Villedary), final letterpress index leaf, contemporary speckled calf, single gilt fillet border, lacking frontispiece portrait, occasional light offsetting from colouring, rebacked retaining original spine, spine repaired at head and foot
A beautiful record of English butterflies and moths, incorporating all the stages of the life cycle for each, positioned on the plants on which they feed and breed. Moses Harris (1730-1787) was an accomplished artist as well as entomologist, and this work contains details of more than forty butterflies and moths, along with some beetles and dragonflies.
Plates 17 and 35 are in their first state with the original dedications (for the second state of these plates, see lot 102).
LITERATURE:
ESTC T22753 (listing 3 copies); Lisney 230
PROVENANCE:
Montagu George Knight (1844-1914, great nephew of Jane Austen), of Chawton, armorial bookplate (listed in the Godmersham Park library catalogue; the library was moved to Chawton before Godmersham was sold in 1874)
The Aurelian: or, natural history of British insects, namely, moths and butterflies. Together with the plants on which they feed. London: for the author, 1766 [1773]
First edition, second issue, folio (470 x 282mm.), large paper copy, engraved vignette on title-page, engraved coloured schematic plate in preliminaries, 44 hand-coloured engraved plates (the final plate dated 1773, all watermarked Villedary), final letterpress index leaf, contemporary speckled calf, single gilt fillet border, lacking frontispiece portrait, occasional light offsetting from colouring, rebacked retaining original spine, spine repaired at head and foot
A beautiful record of English butterflies and moths, incorporating all the stages of the life cycle for each, positioned on the plants on which they feed and breed. Moses Harris (1730-1787) was an accomplished artist as well as entomologist, and this work contains details of more than forty butterflies and moths, along with some beetles and dragonflies.
Plates 17 and 35 are in their first state with the original dedications (for the second state of these plates, see lot 102).
LITERATURE:
ESTC T22753 (listing 3 copies); Lisney 230
PROVENANCE:
Montagu George Knight (1844-1914, great nephew of Jane Austen), of Chawton, armorial bookplate (listed in the Godmersham Park library catalogue; the library was moved to Chawton before Godmersham was sold in 1874)
Auction result well in line with expectations
The work The Aurelian, or natural history of English insects, London, 1766 1773, calf by Moses Harris was sold in the The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I auction at Sothebys in London in May this year. The price achieved of GBP 6,048 (€ 7,115) was within expectations - the estimate range had previously been given by the auction house as GBP 5,000 - 7,000. Other works by Moses Harris have already achieved higher auction prices, for example, in April 2014 the work was auctioned for GBP 6,250 (€ 7,608).
Auktionsergebnis im Rahmen der Erwartungen
Die Arbeit The Aurelian, or natural history of English insects, London, 1766 1773, calf von Moses Harris wurde im Mai diesen Jahres in der Auktion The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I bei Sothebys in London versteigert. Der dabei erzielte Preis von GBP 6.048 (€ 7.115) lag im Rahmen der Erwartungen – die Schätzpreisspanne war von dem Auktionshaus zuvor mit GBP 5.000 – 7.000 angegeben worden. Andere Arbeiten von Moses Harris konnten bereits höhere Auktionspreise erzielen, so wurde im April 2014 die Arbeit für GBP 6.250 (€ 7.608) versteigert.
Moses Harris - Auction history
![Moses Harris - The Aurelian, or natural history of English insects, London, 1766 [1773], calf](/images/moses-harris_the-aurelian-or-natural-history-of-english-insects-london-1766-1773-calf_AID711564_320x320.jpg)
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