Wren, Stephen, Catalogue of the prints in Mr Rapins Hist. of England, and Mr Tindals Continuation : with the ornaments &c. explained, 1759
- Title(s):
- Catalogue of the prints in Mr Rapins Hist. of England, and Mr Tindals Continuation : with the ornaments &c. explained.
- Additional Title(s):
- Catalogue of prints
- Published/Created:
- Great Britain, 1759.
- Physical Description:
- 1 v. ([2], 960, 54 p.) : ill. ; 19 cm.
- Holdings:
- Rare Books and ManuscriptsDA30.R2 W74 1759Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection[Request]
- Copyright Status:
- Copyright Not Evaluated
- Full Orbis Record:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/7990180
- Classification:
- Archives & Manuscripts
- Notes:
- Bookplates of Evelyn Philip Shirley (with motto "Je suis loyal") and the Ettington Manuscript Library. Ettington bookplate has written in ink in center: No. 169.
Bound in gilt-tooled red roan (?), with gilt edges.
Manuscript catalog of prints in Stephen Wren's copy of Rapin's History of England. Wren's copy was apparently the third edition of Rapin's work, translated into English by Nicolas Tindal, together with Tindal's Continuation of Rapin's work (London : John and Paul Knapton, 1743-1747). The History was profusely illustrated with engraved portraits, maps, and head and tail pieces; to these engravings, Wren added a modest number of additional engraved plates, at the time he had it bound. The present manuscript catalog records both the engravings originally published with Rapin's work and the engravings added by Wren. The material described in the catalog is not present. The catalog is written in Wren's neat italic hand throughout, in pen and black ink.
Wren offers a single-page introduction to the catalog, immediately following his title page. The introduction reads: "The heads of the kings, queens, princes, and illustrious persons here represented are taken from ancient coins, royal seals, statues, and paintings of the best masters. Each head is particularly described; the allusion and ornaments about them brightly explained; the time when done, from where copied, & by whom engraved, expressed under each of them; with the names of the noblemen and gentlemen in whose possession the originals are at present, &c. These following prints are in Mr Rapins History of England, and Mr Tindals Continuation, now in the possession of Stephen Wren Esqr. Most of them being collected and pasted in by himself since the History was bound &c. This catalogue of them was finished this 30th day of December in the year of our Lord, 1759." Wren's extra illustrations are few in number compared to the engravings originally published with the work.
The catalog does not list the engravings in the order in which they appear in Rapin's History. Instead, Wren organizes them into thematic sections, as articulated in his table of contents, on the verso of the catalog's introduction: "Emperors of Rome, see page 1 -- Kings & queens of England: 6 -- Emp., kings, queens & princes: 54 -- Kings & queens of France: 109 -- Heads of illustrious persons: 153 -- Heads of the cardinals: 413 -- Heads of the popes: 418 -- Monuments of kings & queens: 522 -- History of King Harold 2d.: 495 -- Hist. of Wm. the Conqueror: 505 -- Cities in England: 777 -- Cities in Scotland: 948 -- Cities in Ireland: 937 -- Historical plates: 455 -- Medals and reverses: 545 -- Head & tail pieces: 470 -- Churches & publick buildings: 823 -- Plans of battles & sieges: 741 -- Plans of cities, towns, &c: 765 -- Maps and genealogies: 778 -- The London gates: 817 -- The London wards: 797 -- Great Seals: 517 -- Monuments at the end: 957." With each engraving, Wren notes the location (volume and page numbers) where the illustration originally appeared.
A sample entry in the catalog (p. 254) reads as follows: "Thos. Wentworth, Earl of Strafford. He is dressed in armour in an oval frame, as engraved by Houbraken in the year 1740, from a painting of Vandykes, in the collection of Sir Francis Child. The ape is placed on the pedestal, with the coronet and trunceon to denote his unhappy fate. Rapin. Vol. 2d., p. 374."
Pages are numbered throughout, and an index (54 pages) is offered at the end. - Subject Terms:
- Ettington Manuscript Library -- Bookplate.Illustrated books -- Extra-illustrated.Portraits -- Great Britain -- Catalogs.Prints -- Collectors and collecting -- Great Britain.Prints -- Great Britain -- Catalogs.Rapin de Thoyras, M. (Paul), 1661–1725. Histoire d'Angleterre. English.Shirley, Evelyn Philip, 1812–1882 -- Bookplate.Tindal, N. (Nicolas), 1687–1774. Continuation of Mr. Rapin's History of England -- Illustrations.
- Form/Genre:
- Catalogs.
- Export:
- XML