Characteristic Sketches of Animals, Pricipally in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, Drawn from the Life and Engraved by Thomas Landseer: with descriptive and illustrative notices by John Henry Barrow, Esqre., Dedicated by Permission to the Zoological Society

London: Moon, Boys, and Graves, 1832. First edition.

1832 FOLIO WITH DRAMATIC ORIGINAL ETCHINGS OF ANIMALS FROM THE LONDON ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS BY EMINENT VICTORIAN ARTIST--COPY OF NOTED COLLECTOR.

26x37 cm folio recent 3/4 brown calf with marbled boards, spine with raised bands and gilt title black leather label, silk page marker, recent endpapers. Armorial bookplate of William Fuller Maitland of Stansted Hall to front paste-down, bookplate of Robert L Chevalier to front free endpaper. Unpaginated. 32 full-page engraved plates by Landseer interpersed with descriptive text by John Henry Barrow. Many of the text-pages have small engravings with imaginative scenes depicting interactions among species. Light foxing sparing most of the plates, very good minus.

THOMAS LANDSEER (1793–1880) was an artist best known for his engravings and etchings, particularly those of paintings by his youngest brother Edwin Landseer. Landseer was born in London, the eldest of the fourteen children of engraver John Landseer. Like his father, Thomas was deaf. Like his siblings, Landseer was taught artistic techniques by his father. He then studied under painter Benjamin Robert Haydon alongside his brother Charles and William Bewick. His soft-ground etchings complemented his brother's animal paintings, and sales of the popular prints (retailing for between 3 and 10 guineas) contributed to his brother's fame and fortune. He assisted his brother with giving art lessons to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Landseer produced satirical etchings of monkeys in human clothing for Monkeyana, or, Men in Miniature (1827), and dedicated his Characteristic Sketches of Animals (offered here) to the Zoological Society. He was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1867 for his etchings.

JOHN HENRY BARROW (1817 – 1874) was a Congregational minister, journalist and South Australian politician. Born in England, Barrow emigrated to Adelaide, South Australia. The Clayton Chapel was built for him, but though an excellent preacher, Barrow was unsure whether his real work lay in church life, and he resigned his pastorate in 1858 to enter the South Australian House of Assembly as the member for East Torrens.

PROVENANCE: WILLIAM FULLER MAITLAND (1813–1876) was an English art collector. He was the heir of Ebenezer Fuller Maitland, of Stansted, Essex, and Park Place, Berkshire. During journeys to Italy Maitland encountered the works of early Italian masters. Their paintings formed the basis of a major part of his collection. English landscape painting was also largely represented. Maitland contributed to the Old Masters' Exhibitions of the Royal Academy, lending pictures over many years. After his death the bulk of his collection was exhibited at the South Kensington Museum; and subsequently nine of the major pictures were sold to the National Gallery, London.