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HANCARVILLE, Pierre François Hugues d', called Baron d'Hancarville (1719--1805)
Collection of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman antiquities from the cabinet of the Honble. Wm. Hamilton ...
Naples:, [imprimé par François Morelli],, 1766--67 [i.e. 1767--77].
4 vols ; 47.8 cm. (2°)
I: 177, [3] p., 130 [i.e. 110] pl. (47 hand-col., incl. 2 t.-pl. : [20] engr. vignettes and initials
II: 168 p., [116] pl. (51 hand-col., incl. 2 t.-pl.) : [13] engr. vignettes and initials
III: 211, [1] p., 130 pl. (43 hand-col., incl. 2 t.-pl.) : engr. illus.
IV: VIII, 252 p., [131] pl. (52 hand.-col., incl. 2 t.-pl.) : engr. illus.

With parallel English and French title-plates in vols I--IV, parallel English and French text in vols I--II, and French text only in vols III--IV. Imprint name from colophon in volumes I and II. Volumes II--IV are all dated 1767, but vol. II only appeared in 1770 and volumes III and IV in 1776 (see below). Volume I is dedicated to George III; vol. II to J.J. Winckelmann and the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (later the Royal Society of Arts); vol. III to Francis of Austria; and vol. IV to the memory of Comte de Caylus (d. 1765). Volumes I and II were printed in Naples by François Morelli and first appeared in 1767 and 1770 respectively. Volumes III and IV were printed in Florence and first appeared in 1776. Sir William Hamilton financed the publication of this work which was originally intended to publicize his collection of Greek vases and thereby to encourage its purchase by the British Museum in 1772. The prospectus issued in 1765 promised two volumes which were to appear simultaneously: one containing D'Hancarville's 'dissertations', and the other the plates. However, before the text of vol.I was finished D'Hancarville realized that the project would require four volumes, each twice the size of what was first intended. Not content just to describe the objects in Hamilton's collection, he proposed to 'hasten the progress of the arts by disclosing their true and fixed principles' in which respect his work was 'absolutely new'. Volume I is devoted to the origin and history of the Etruscans, the antiquity of the Tuscan order, sculpture and painting; vol. II is concerned with vases and vase-painting; and III and IV are mainly devoted to a history of Greek sculpture. D'Hancarville's decision to publish the text and plates together delayed the progress of the work and greatly increased its price. Though his preface to vol. I is dated 30 April 1766, the licence for publication was not granted until November 1767. Vincenzo Mazzeranghi took over editorial control on behalf of D'Hancarville's creditors in 1773 and finally in 1776 vols III and IV were published in Florence without English translations. The method of colouring the plates terracotta and black (and occasionally other colours) was evidently devised by Giuseppe Bracci in imitation of the actual colour of the painted vases. Examination of the plates shows that they were printed in black ink over an existing terracotta wash background, highlights of white, scarlet, green or yellow gouache being added by hand to some plates after printing. The plates, engraved initials and vignettes are numbered in a single sequence in each volume. Copies of volumes I and II differ in respect of the degree to which they include plates with printed or manuscript numbering, a mixture of the two in vol. I and mostly numbering in manuscript only in vol. II being usual. Just how confusing this situation could be for the binder, with no list of plates for each volume and no means of distinguishing one plate from another, is evident in the copy at the British Architectural Library; more details of the Soane copies are given in the copy notes below. The initials and vignettes in vol. IV are printed in black and bistre, with the head-piece on p. [1] coloured. ESTC t147662; BAL, Early printed books, no. 1568.

Copy Notes Copy 1: The two title-plates, one dedication, 20 etched vignettes and initials, 6 plates bound in the text, and 101 remaining plates of vol. I bear printed numbers 1--3, IV--IX, 10--11, [12--13], 14--130; while in vol. II the two title-plates, two dedications, 13 etched vignettes and initials, three plates in the text (facing pp. 20, 81 & 125), and remaining 109 other plates are numbered in manuscript only 1--20, 22--130 (except for pl. 14 and 81 which have printed numbers instead). This is no doubt the work described as 'Hamilton on Vases 4 vol folio', purchased on 5 January 1830 from T. and W. Boone together with a copy of 'Les Morales des Jesuits 3 vol 12mo' (q.v.) for £18 (Priv. Corr. XVI.E.7.3). Volumes I and II have the engraved spade-shield armorial bookplate of Stephen Payne Galwey, Esq., possibly Stephen Payne-Gallwey [Gallway] (1750--1803), a member of the Society of Dilettanti.
Copy 2: 48.5 cm. Volumes I and II only. The vignettes and initials numbered as above; in vol. I, plates 3, 26, 40--41, 48, 51, 57, 59--60, 62, 65, 68, 74, 82, 94--95, 97--99, 101, 104, 115, 119--120, 122 &126--130 bear printed numbers; the other plates are numbered in manuscript except [24], [56], [63] and [88] which are unnumbered. Plate 43 is misnumbered 48 in print and corrected 43; pl. [109] is misnumbered 100 in print. In vol. II, all plates bear print numbers except plates 3, 16--21, 23, 74 & 114 which are numbered in manuscript, and plates 1--2, 27, 32, 36, 44, 51, 56, 67, 70--71, 78, 85--86, 95, 110 & 120 are unnumbered. Purchased on 14 February 1803 from R. Faulder for 10 guineas. (Archive 16/12/40).

Binding Copy 1: C18th sprinkled calf, vols I and II with gilt roll-tooled borders incorporating scrolled foliage, floral baskets and insects; vols III and IV with gilt roll-tooled borders of floral scrolls; gilt-tooled spines, red and green morocco spine-labels gilt-lettered 'Hamilton's/ Antiquities' and 'Vol I (II-IV)', marbled endpapers.
Copy 2: C19th diced russia calf, gilt double-rule borders, gilt roll-tooled frames, gilt-tooled spines, direct-lettered in gilt 'Hamilton's/ Etruscan/ Antiquities Vol I (II)', marbled endpapers, red paste-coloured edges.

Reference Number 1439

Additional Names T. & W.$Boone; Faulder, Robert, publisher and bookseller (1747?--1815); HANCARVILLE, Pierre François Hugues d', called Baron d'Hancarville (1719--1805); D'Hancarville, Pierre François, Baron; Hamilton, Sir William (1730--1803). - Art collections; Galwey, Stephen Payne; Hugues, Pierre François; Payne-Gallway, Stephen (1750--1803), former owner?


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