Alexander, William

FIRST EDITION, 4to (230 x 160mm.), aquatint additional pictorial title (frontispiece) and 49 plates, all coloured by hand, modern full green crushed morocco, elaborately tooled in gilt, minor damp stain to additional title, scattered spotting 

All Under Heaven 31

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"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."

Beautifully illustrated volume by the artist William Alexander (1767-1816). "The volume's combination of superb draftsmanship and interest in a more comprehensive and historical ethnography of China was in keeping with Alexander's work at the British Museum, where he illustrated catalogues of the institution's collection through an appointment as assistant librarian and the museum's first keeper of prints and drawings...

In 1792 the British East India Company dispatched a trade expedition to China. Led by Lord George Macartney (1737-1806), the embassy arrived in 1793 with examples of British manufactures and hopes of convincing the Chinese emperor to open Chinese ports other than Canton to international commerce...

Artist William Alexander (1767-1816) was a junior draftsman in the Macartney mission. After including some of his drawings in the expedition's official record, he went on to publish etchings and engravings of Chinese subjects in multiple volumes, one of which was Picturesque Representations of the Dress and Manners of the Chinese. Like George Henry Mason's The Costume of China, this book presents illustrations followed by explanatory text. It differs, however, in expanding its scope beyond the types of people seen in the paintings of Chinese export artists and Mason's book. Alexander's work offers a more encyclopaedic treatment of Chinese occupations, entertainments, religious practices, and forms of punishments while also describing specific people he had encountered during the Macartney embassy" (All Under Heaven).