Keramic Art of Japan (ORIGINAL FINE MOROCCO, AMAZING PLATES, FOLIO) George Ashdown Audsley and James Lord Bowes

Keramic Art of Japan by George Ashdown Audsley and James Lord Bowes ***16" x 12" Folios in the ORIGINAL PUBLISHER'S FULL BURGUNDY MOROCCO FINE BINDING. Extraordinary plates of Japanese ceramics in exceptional detail and striking coloration*** This was the first major study in English of Japanese ceramic art, which attempted the then unique task of classifying all known varieties of the porcelain of Japan. Overall Condition: VERY GOOD antiquarian condition. ABOUT THE BOOK: Published circa 1879 by Henry Sotheran & Co. in London in two volumes. Volume I contains a few plates and most of the text. Volume II contains most of the striking plates, mostly full-color chromolithographs, along with descriptive text of the ceramics featured. The title pages list 1875 but the preface is dated 1879 (as with all copies) suggesting the length of time and effort required to bring such an extraordinary work to completion. First edition, first printing. This is the scarce luxury edition in its original full burgundy morocco fine binding: gilt filet paneling; exceptional front cover gilt tooled illustrative art of Japanese motifs: Mt. Fuji, bamboo and a heron; five raised gilded spine bands separating compartments bordered in gilt and filled with gilt text or decorative emblems; all edges gilt; marbled endpapers; thick, high-quality paper use for the plates. Heavy Folios, 16" x 12" x 2" thick. Collated and complete, including all plates and original blank flyleaves and endpapers: Text Volume - [LXXI], 61 pp. 12 Plates A to M (no J; it was never printed for any copy published) and within text illustrations. Plates Volume -unnumbered, includes all 51 plates of Japanese ceramics and 4 plates of marks and monograms. ABOUT THE AUTHORS George Ashdown Audsley (September 6, 1838 - June 21, 1925) was an accomplished architect, artist, illustrator, writer, decorator and pipe organ designer who excelled in many artistic fields but is perhaps best known today for having designed the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia. In 1875 Audsley collaborated with his friend James Lord Bowes, a wealthy Liverpool Wool Merchant and collector of Japanese art, to produce The Keramic Art of Japan. James Lord Bowes (June 1834 - October 1899) was a wealthy Liverpool (UK) wool broker, art collector and patron of the arts, author and authority on Japan and its art. The Keramic Art of Japan was one of the first and most important books on Japanese art to be produced in the English language and, like many of Audsley's works, it continues to be a popular classic publication still in print. The first edition is known for its exceptionally high quality plates, each one a work of art in itself. CONDITION REPORT: VERY GOOD antiquarian condition Collated and complete with all plates, including original blank flyleaves, endpapers and publisher-issued fine full morocco binding. Exterior and binding - rubbed boards, spine and extremities. Spine lean. Firm hinges and joints, hinges reinforced in multiple spots in each volume. Quite a bit bit of dust soiling and multiple large stains. Bumped corners and edges, worn edges. Faded leather boards. Blemishes to gilt work. Interior: impressively white pages with some signs of handling (mostly to the margins): smudging and creasing. Most of the text block is clean and bright with foxing primarily on and near the plates and blank flyleaves, where it is moderate to heavy. Some minor wear to endpapers. Pencil writing to blank flyleaf in Text Volume and back of one page has one word or two in ink. The chromolithograph images themselves are in excellent condition with few blemishes - vibrant, clean and colorful.