Adam, Robert

First edition, folio (530 x 370mm.), 61 numbered engraved plates on 54 sheets, some double-page and/or folding, printed list of subscribers, contemporary red morocco gilt to a design by Robert Adam, gilt edges, occasional slight spotting, some browning where folding plates have been joined, plate XI slightly cropped with loss of numeral, binding slightly rubbed

Duke of Manchester, Kimbolton Castle, bookplate; Lord Kenneth Clark

BAL RIBA 27; Blackmer 3; Fowler p.3; (see also I.G. Brown '"With an uncommon splendour": the bindings of Robert Adam's Ruins at Spalatro', in Apollo, vol.137, no.371, pp.6-11)

The condition of this lot is as described in the catalogue description
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A fine presentation binding executed to the designs of Robert Adam with an interesting provenance.

A number of these bindings are known, with varying degrees of elaboration. The finest were tooled with a broad decorative border and the arms of George III, the dedicatee, probably for royal presentation (copy sold as lot 1, Christie's New York, 14 June 2005). This copy has a more restrained border (see illustration), identical to the Alan G. Thomas copy, sold in these rooms, 21-22 June 1993, lot 169. There are also copies found with this design bound in mottled calf.

This copy has the bookplate of Kimbolton Castle, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Manchester. George Montagu, fourth Duke (1762-1788), was a subscriber to this work and had a gatehouse designed by Adam built at the castle in c.1764 (the date of publication of this work). More recently it was owned by Lord Kenneth Clark, the art patron and historian, and author of the television series "Civilisation".

Kenneth Clark (1903-1983) was an aesthete with an acute intelligence and a wide range of artistic tastes, and the inherited wealth both to indulge his likes and to act as a patron to artists such as Moore, Sutherland and Pasmore. Though primarily known for his seminal television series Civilisation, Lord Clark held a variety of important and scholarly positions within the British art establishment including, at the age of 31, being Director of the National Gallery; he was also a prolific lecturer and author on the Arts - and he used and promoted the Arts when he worked for the Ministry of Information during the Second World War.

A selection of items from Lord Clark and his family’s collection are being offered for auction by Sotheby’s across a wide range of departments – please see online for further details and for a longer appreciation by James Stourton, who is currently working on a new biography of Lord Clark