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Lot No. 68: WILLIAMSON, Capt. Thomas and Samuel Howett.

Oriental Field Sports

  • Medium: Printed book
  • Year: 1808
  • Size: 10.5 x 8.5 inches
  • Place: London

Winning Bid : ₹71,280

(Inclusive Buyer's Premium)

Estimate

60,000 - 1,00,000


Estimate US$

800-1200

Ends at Mar 14, 2024 09:14 PM IST

Quick Overview

Total : 2 bids   |   Next 5 valid bids   | 20% Buyer's Premium   |   Additional Charges   |   Comparable

WILLIAMSON, Capt. Thomas and Samuel Howett.

Oriental Field Sports

Size: 27.5 x 21.5 cm (10.5 x 8.5 inches)

Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. For Edward Orme and B. Croby and co.
being a complete, detailed, and accurate description of the Wild Sports of the East; and exhibiting, in a novel and interesting manner, the Natural History of the elephant, the rhinoceros, the tiger, the leopard, the bear, the deer, the buffalo, the wolf, the wild hog, the jackall, the wild dog, the civet, and other domesticated animals: as likewise the different species of feathered game, fishes, and serpents.
Large 4to, Vol II only of 2, PP 239, 20 hand colored plates. later Half Leather binding over marble Paper boards.

Williamson served in a British regiment in Bengal and was an avid sportsman while there. "A self-taught artist, Williamson turned professional when financial difficulties forced him to earn a living. He drew on his enthusiasm and knowledge as a sportsman and produced sporting and natural history paintings, etchings, and illustrations. He sometimes worked in oils but more frequently in water colours, and he was an accomplished etcher". After being recalled to England, "Williamson's knowledge of wild life and Oriental sports had come to the notice of the Orme family" (Rohatgi & Parlett). The Orme's contracted with celebrated painter Samuel Howitt to prepare finished watercolours based on Williamson's original sketches during his time in India, and published the work, originally in 20 parts, between 1805 and 1807. The result was "the most beautiful book on Indian sport in existence" (Schwerdt). The work, however, is not merely a sporting book. As Williamson writes in the Preface, the work "is offered to the public as depicting the Manners, Customs, Scenery, and Costume of a territory now intimately blended with the British Empire, and of such importance to its welfare, as to annex a certain degree of consequence to every publications, that either exhibits, or professes to impart, a knowledge of whatever may hitherto have been concealed, or that remains unfolded to our view." The plates, etched by J. Clarck. Howitt and Williamson's images are vivid depictions of both the chase and the Indian scenery. Of particular note are the four plates treating elephants, described by Williamson as possessing "the energy of the horse, the sagacity of the dog, and a large portion of the monkey's cunning." The eleven plates devoted to the tiger are each riveting. The work was published to great acclaim. An 1807 issue of The Monthly Review declared: "Much entertainment for the eye, and much information for the mind will be found in this very splendid volume." The Review continues by lamenting the high cost of the work: "Twenty guineas may be a trifle in Nabob's pocket: but Nabobs are not numerous in England; and we should suppose that the sale of such a work as this cannot be very widely diffused." This no doubt contributed to the work's present-day rarity.
Provenance : Collection of a Gentleman
Good Condition
Nickname Amount(Rs) Type Date & Time(IST)
1 anon0200 59400.00 Offline 15-03-2024 08:03:28 AM IST
2 anon0200 59400.00 Regular 11-03-2024 12:03:16 PM IST
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