ALKEN, Henry. The High Mettled Racer . London: S. and J. Fuller, 1 March 1821. 6 hand-coloured aquatint plates by Alken and T. Sutherland after Alken (340 x 408mm), window-mounted in oblong 2° album (403 x 531mm), modern letterpress title. (Slight browning of margins.) Blue half morocco by Aquarius, spine gilt, morocco cover label, central portion of [?]original printed wrapper laid down at front. FIRST EDITION. STRONG, BRIGHT IMPRESSIONS OF THESE LARGE AQUATINTS. The life of a racehorse in progressive stages, the latter downward, was a theme favoured by sporting artists, and a rebuke to Meltonians for asking so much of their thoroughbreds. Thomas Gooch had exhibited a series of six paintings on the subject in 1783, publishing them as prints in 1790 (see lot 164). Thomas Rowlandson's 1789 series, consisting of 4 plates, was based on a popular song, Charles Dibdin's 'The High Mettled Racer' of 1785. Alken here follows Gooch in using six plates for the pattern of rise and fall which had obvious parallels with human life. Dixon 30: 'an excessively rare series'; Mellon/Snelgrove 60; Siltzer p. 59.
ALKEN, Henry. The High Mettled Racer . London: S. and J. Fuller, 1 March 1821. 6 hand-coloured aquatint plates by Alken and T. Sutherland after Alken (340 x 408mm), window-mounted in oblong 2° album (403 x 531mm), modern letterpress title. (Slight browning of margins.) Blue half morocco by Aquarius, spine gilt, morocco cover label, central portion of [?]original printed wrapper laid down at front. FIRST EDITION. STRONG, BRIGHT IMPRESSIONS OF THESE LARGE AQUATINTS. The life of a racehorse in progressive stages, the latter downward, was a theme favoured by sporting artists, and a rebuke to Meltonians for asking so much of their thoroughbreds. Thomas Gooch had exhibited a series of six paintings on the subject in 1783, publishing them as prints in 1790 (see lot 164). Thomas Rowlandson's 1789 series, consisting of 4 plates, was based on a popular song, Charles Dibdin's 'The High Mettled Racer' of 1785. Alken here follows Gooch in using six plates for the pattern of rise and fall which had obvious parallels with human life. Dixon 30: 'an excessively rare series'; Mellon/Snelgrove 60; Siltzer p. 59.
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