[Armorial Binding] An accurate and descriptive catalogue of the several paintings in the King of Spain's palace at Madrid; with some account of the pictures in the Buen-Retiro. By Richard Cumberland, Author of The Anecdotes of Eminent Painters in Spain

London: printed for C. Dilly, in the Poultry; and J. Walter, Charing-Cross, 1787. Full Calf. Fine. First (and only) edition of this brief survey of the Spanish royal collections, in Madrid. Foolscap 8vo (160 x 91mm): iv,131,[1]pp. Contemporary full tree calf binding by C. [Christian Samuel] Kalthoeber, London (orange ticket to front fly-leaf verso), binder to George III and Catherine the Great, with beautifully tooled coat of arms in gilt to both covers; covers framed in gilt with Greek key role, spine in six compartments between gilt-decorated raised bands, red morocco lettering piece gilt, all edges gilt, red silk page marker laid in. Provenance: Several lines of evidence convincingly point to the book having been bound for William Thomas Beckford (1760-1844), the novelist and art collector. The coat of arms in gilt to both covers is that of the order of the garter ("honi soit qui mal y pense"), founded by Edward III. Beckford claimed descent from Edward and appropriated the arms and symbols of Edward as founder of the Order of the Garter. Finally, Kalthoeber bound books for Beckford, and a note since removed from the front paste-down identified this as the Beckford copy. A superb example in handsome contemporary binding, tightly bound and clean throughout. By 1800, English art collectors and dealers were looking toward Spain as a new source of supply, and the dramatist and diplomat Richard Cumberland had had paved the way: "I frequently visited the superb collection of paintings in the palace at Madrid [which included masterpieces by Rubens, Titian, and Velazquez]; the king was so good as to give orders for any picture to be taken down and placed upon the easel, which I might wish to have a nearer view of; he also gave directions for a catalogue to be made out at my request, which I have published . . . the first that had been made . . ." (Memoirs of Richard Cumberland, pp. 254, 298-99) In 1980, the Prado annexed the Casón del Buen Retiro. In his day, the binder Christian Samuel Kalthoeber was considered one of the finest in the world. N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).