Kengtung Occasions (Two Volumes)
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Burma (Kengtung, Shan State, presumed), 1908. Quarter Morocco, Cloth Boards. Very Good. Oblong 8vo. 18 by 25.5 cm. 60 original watercolors, with 30 in each album. With Shan captions, presumably translated into English which is presented on pastedown sheet on front inside cover. The drawings in both albums were drawn by a Hkon artist of Kengtung according to labels on the front of both. The album creator might have been a man named Richard Phillimore, or something close to that, based on a handwritten inked name which isn't entirely legible. The first volume depicts the struggles against Chinese invaders and the rise and fall of several leaders. About half of the scenes show violence, or armed engagement and/or threat, while the other scenes tend to be more placid, with men shown praying, in meditation, listening, resting. All the pictures have the irresistible charm of folk art. From the text label on the front cover, this is presumably one of two books of scenes, but without that indication, one should find this album self-contained, and while there is a cumulative impact to the scenes, each also works very well on its own. Kengtung is in the Shan State, or Northeast of Burma, of today's Myammar, close to the Chinese and Thai borders. The second volume is devoted to the culture and daily life of the province. Thus are shown scenes from a festival, the practice of various trades, various customs, the marketplace, a hunting party and the like. An unattached note contained within the first volume states that a prior owner bought the album in Hong Kong. Condition: the spines are rough, with much of the spine of Vol. II perished. Bindings in general are tight but gritty, with edgewear and abrasions. Also with both albums front board labels torn at bottom but without much loss other than the name of the original owner. LIght age toning of the leaves, with scattered soiling. All the paintings are bright and vivid. Two handsome, exotic albums.
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Details
- Bookseller
- White Fox Rare Books and Antiques (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 004626
- Title
- Kengtung Occasions (Two Volumes)
- Format/Binding
- Quarter Morocco, Cloth Boards
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- Burma (Kengtung, Shan State, presumed)
- Date Published
- 1908
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
White Fox Rare Books and Antiques
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
White Fox Rare Books and Antiques
Biblio member since 2010
New York, New York
About White Fox Rare Books and Antiques
By appointment. Antiquarian and rare books with strengths in illustrated plate books, the decorative arts, costume, sporting, foreign language literature (in the original language), with growing emphasis on early printing.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...