Ayres, Philip

Includes a first and later edition of Emblemata, octavo format, two in eighteenth-century calf, one in speckled calf antique. Condition generally very good.

Cupids Addresse to the Ladies. Emblemata amatoria. Emblems of Love. Embleme d'amore. Emblemes d'amour. London: Sold by R. Bently, S. Tidmarch, 1683. Engraved title-page signed "B.J.," frontispiece, 44 engraved plates of emblems, engraved plates of accompanying Latin, English, Italian and French epigrams; emblems 9–10 and 11–12 transposed. eighteenth-century paneled calf gilt; slightly rubbed, a few old, small scrapes on rear cover. First edition (Wing A4307; ESTC R9912; Landwehr Romanic 130; Praz pp. 127 ff.; 137). provenance: Christie's London, 30 November 2001, lot 1. acquisition: Purchased at foregoing sale through Bernard Quaritch. — Lyric Poems, Made in Imitation of the Italians. London: Printed by J.M. for Jos. Knight and F. Saunders, 1687. Engraved frontispiece of Apollo with a lyre; washed and pressed, with residual browning. Modern speckled calf antique paneled gilt. First edition (Wing A4312; ESTC R8291; Hayward 132). acquisition: Bernard Quaritch.  — Emblems of Love, in Four Languages. London: Printed for J. Osborn, n.d. Engraved title-page by Sutton Nicholls (1668–1729), 44 engraved plates, with engraved plates of accompanying Latin, English, Italian and French epigrams. eighteenth-century calf, gilt supralibros of Traquair House. (Wing 4311, dated 1687: ESTC T88291, dated ?1750 with note: "A reissue of the plates of the 1714 edition").  provenance: Traquair House supralibros (Stuart family seat); Hon. John Stuart. acquisition: H.D. Lyon, 1989.

Includes a first and later edition of Emblemata, octavo format, two in eighteenth-century calf, one in speckled calf antique. Condition generally very good. Cupids Addresse to the Ladies. Emblemata amatoria. Emblems of Love. Embleme d'amore. Emblemes d'amour. London: Sold by R. Bently, S. Tidmarch, 1683. Engraved title-page signed "B.J.", frontispiece, 44 engraved plates of emblems, engraved plates of accompanying Latin, English, Italian, and French epigrams; emblems 9–10 and 11–12 transposed. 18th-century paneled calf gilt; slightly rubbed, a few old, small scrapes on rear cover. First edition (Wing A4307; ESTC R9912; Landwehr Romanic 130; Praz pp. 127 ff.; 137). provenance: Christie's London, 30 November 2001, lot 1. acquisition: Purchased at foregoing sale through Bernard Quaritch. — Lyric Poems, Made in Imitation of the Italians. London: Printed by J.M. for Jos. Knight and F. Saunders, 1687. Engraved frontispiece of Apollo with a lyre; washed and pressed, with residual browning. Modern speckled calf antique paneled gilt. First edition (Wing A4312; ESTC R8291; Hayward 132). acquisition: Bernard Quaritch. — Emblems of Love, in Four Languages. London: Printed for J. Osborn, n.d. Engraved title-page by Sutton Nicholls (1668–1729), 44 engraved plates, with engraved plates of accompanying Latin, English, Italian, and French epigrams. 18th-century calf, gilt supralibros of Traquair House. (Wing 4311, dated 1687: ESTC T88291, dated ?1750 with note: "A reissue of the plates of the 1714 edition'). provenance: Traquair House supralibros (Stuart family seat); Hon. John Stuart. acquisition: H.D. Lyon, 13 June 1989.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Ayres's Cupids Addresse to the Ladies is based on Jan van Vianen's polyglot text in Latin, Italian, French and Dutch, which appeared in London c. 1682. The English text in Ayres's edition is described by Landwehr as "a bad imitation of the Dutch," and presuming van Vianen's edition to be earlier, he argues that the plates must also be copied from it. Praz (p. 127) identifies earlier sources, and ODNB concurs that three-fourths of the copperplates were copied from those of Cornelius Boel in Amorum emblemata by Otto van Veen  (Antwerp, 1608), and (in these cases) the Latin and Italian verses are from the same source. Almost all the remaining plates are from the Thronus cupidinis (Amsterdam, 1618). It is to be assumed that all the English verses and some of those in French, Latin and Italian are Ayres's own compositions.