THOMAS MARTYN THE UNIVERSAL CONCHOLOGIST FOUR AQUATINTS 1784

Description: Thomas Martyn (fl 1760-1816); four hand colored aquatints from The Universal Conchologist ["Figures of Non-Descript Shells Collected in the Different Voyages to the South Seas since 1764"]; publ. by Thomas Martyn and "sold from his home"; London; 1784-89. (With subsequent editions appearing until 1792.) Sheets 10 5/8 x 13 1/8" (somewhat trimmed from the originals); on wove paper; one sheet shows a "Voltaire" watermark (1789-1804). Penciled numbers on the reverse indicate these four plates are from the I and II vols that were entitled "Figures of Non-Descript Shells...", although the entire four volumes of 160 images (40 per volume) are often referred to as The Universal Conchologist. A 5th volume proposed by Martyn was never completed. Shells have been identified from New Holland, New Zealand, Tahiti, Tonga, and the Hawaiian Islands. The sheets and images are in amazing condition given age. The colors are still wonderfully vibrant (shadow circles on closeups are lens error) Some toning to paper, foxing visible on the reverse. Martyn purchased fully 2/3 of the shells brought back from Captain Cook's Third Voyage (1776-1780). These and items from other voyages and existing collections in the UK provided the subject matter for his renowned work. (Indeed, given that Martyn later sold off much of his collection, this work remains one of the the only known records of the shells from Cook's last voyage). To save on cost for such a monumental undertaking Martyn created a school where he personally trained up to nine assistants (at his Academy for Illustrating and Painting Natural History) to handle the copper plate printing, soft aquatint and subsequent hand coloring. Martyn created the initial drawings. To create images that looked like watercolors he saw that the engraved lines were kept lightly inked. The prints are exceedingly rare in that Martyn created editions on an "as needed" basis to meet sales, which were slow. Martyn was so preoccupied with perfection, he rejected the first printing (an edition of 70) as being substandard. Called "the most beautiful iconography of shells ever prepared" [cf William Healy Dall's comprehensive discussion in "Thomas Martyn and the Universal Conchologist"; Proceedings of the US National Museum, vol. 29, pp 415-432; 1905]; Martyn's work was never equaled in the pre photographic era, and it received numerous accolades, including gold medals from Pope Pius VI, Emperor Joseph II, Charles IV of Spain, and Ferdinand IV of Naples. Provenance: the estate of Paul O'Neill (1935-2020); Treasury Secretary (2002); CEO Alcoa 1987-1999. I will sell separately for $300/ea. Please visit my Ebay sites: FINE ART PRINTS - https://www.ebay.com/usr/rufus1226 BOOKS - https://www.ebay.com/usr/judefe16 https://www.ebay.com/usr/judefe-65 https://www.ebay.com/usr/j18-jule https://www.ebay.com/usr/judefe14RECORDS - https://www.ebay.com/usr/juledefelice_0 STAMPS AND STUFF - https://www.ebay.com/usr/judefe-8

Price: 1100 USD

Location: West Mifflin, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-04-30T00:06:50.000Z

Shipping Cost: 15 USD