Beschreibung:

GUÉRARD, Eugène von (1811-1901). Eugène von Guérard's Australian Landscapes A series of 24 tinted lithographs illustratative of the most striking and picturesque features of the landscpae scenery of Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia & Tasmania, drawn from nature and lithographed by the artist, with letter press descriptions of each view. Melbourne: Hamel & Ferguson, [no date but 1867-1868?]. Large oblong 2° (480 x 635mm). Lithographic title printed in four colours, 24 lithographic plates by and after von Guérard, printed in up to four colours by Hamel & Ferguson, publisher's blindstamp in lower margin of each plate. (Old dampstain to lower outer blank margin of all plates, affecting the image area of four, margins of title and plate 8 browned, 7 plates spotted). Contemporary green half morocco, titled in gilt on upper cover, gilt edges (extremities scuffed). FIRST EDITION OF 'THE LAST OF THE SUMPTUOUSLY PRODUCED AUSTRALIAN PLATE BOOKS' (Wantrup). 'Von Guérard was a painstaking artist, noted for his meticulous attention to detail... It is fitting that this last, magnificent finale to the grand plate book tradition should be the work of colonial Australia's most accomplished academic artists. An important work by an important artist... von Guérard's Australian Landscapes is essential to a collection' (Wantrup pp.330-331). Ferguson 10134a; Wantrup 257 (incorrectly noting the title and plates to be hand-coloured).