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THE CORONATION OF HIS MOST SACRED MAJESTY KING GEORGE THE FOURTH, SOLEMNIZED IN THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF SAINT PETER, WESTMINSTER, UPON THE NINETEENTH DAY OF JULY, 1821.
(London: Henry George Bohn, 1837). 587 x 433 mm. (23 1/8 x 17"). 3 p.l., lvi, 134, [10] pp. First Complete Edition, incorporating the previously issued parts of 1823 and 1827.
Modern red crushed morocco over marbled boards, raised bands ruled in gilt, gilt lettering, all edges gilt. With two large engraved black & white seals in text, three plain engraved plates, and 42 HAND-COLORED AQUATINT PLATES (including title). Front pastedown with large engraved bookplate of Phiroze K. Randeria. Abbey Scenery 260; Lipperheide 2690; Hiler & Hiler, p. 645; Tooley, pp. 279-81. See also: Alan Thomas, "Great Books and Book Collectors," pp. 169-70. ◆Sometimes noticeable water damage to upper outer corners and upper gutters of many text pages (resulting often in short tears and occasionally in mildew), two plates with longer repairs along fore edge), light soiling to title page and text, but the plates less affected by damp and without any other significant condition issues; the dampstaining in the text a definite problem, but the plates almost without exception potentially frameable in such a way that the images are all fresh and bright. The pleasing binding with virtually no wear.
An impressive tome measuring nearly two feet tall and weighing over 20 pounds, this magnificent record of George IV's coronation is perhaps best described by bookseller Alan Thomas: "If ever a book illustrated the boast of heraldry and pomp of power, this is the one." According to DNB, parliament approved a staggering £243,000 for the event, and George IV's coronation is still considered the most extravagant in English history. Of the 42 color plates included here, seven show sumptuous scenes from the procession, the crowning ceremony, and the lavish celebration banquet, while the other plates contain full-length portraits of the attendees in an array of extraordinary regalia, each beautifully colored by hand and every detail carefully delineated. White and blue satin garment trimmed in gold, opulent jewelry, swaths of velvet, and headpieces piled high with plumage proliferate among the earls, dukes, chancellors, and officers, while the king himself is pictured wearing an extraordinarily long crimson velvet robe lined in ermine, supported by nine attendants following behind him. According to Sir Walter Scott, who attended the coronation and whose vivid description of the event is reproduced here, "The effect of the scene in the Abbey was beyond measure magnificent. . . . [there was] gradation in the scale of gorgeous ornament, from the unwieldy splendour of the heralds, who glowed like huge masses of gold and silver, to the more chastened robes and ermine of the peers . . . . Those who witnessed it have seen a scene calculated to raise the country in their opinion, and to throw into the shade all scenes of similar magnificence." The author originally intended to publish the work in five parts, but only two parts were ever produced (in 1823 and 1827). This is the first combined edition, containing both parts and printed from the original plates. Sir George Nayler (bap. 1764 - d. 1831) was a miniaturist before becoming a herald in 1792, and is described by DNB as "ambitious and energetic, with the eye to produce magnificent manuscripts . . . that were appreciated by George IV both as prince regent and king." This work is not common on the market; the last complete copy for sale at auction was in 2012, where it sold for £3,000 all in. (Lhi21157)
Price: $7,500.00