Beschreibung:

MURRAY, Thomas (Sir). The Laws and Acts of Parliament made by King James the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Queen Mary, King James the Sixth, King Charles the First, King charles the Second who now presently Reigns, Kings and Queens of Scotland. Edinburgh, David Lindsay 1681, 2°, FIRST EDITION, title printed in red and black, preceded by "Lectori" leaf, extra-illustrated with cut-down mounted to size engraved portraits of Scottish monarchs and a large engraving of the Scottish royal arms (? lacking engraved additional title, some marginal spotting and soiling), CONTEMPORARY EDINBURGH BINDING OF RED MOROCCO ELABORATELY TOOLED IN GILT, covers with two ruled and roll-tooled panels, the centre panel filled with symmetrical design composed from various flowerhead, thistle, drawer-handle tools and stylised foliage, the second panel with stylised sprays composed from various small tools (including acorns, tulips, leaves, grapes) issuing from six symetrically-placed vases, outer border of rules and roll-tools, spine in eight compartments. lettered in two, the others with triangular and semi-circular flower and bud tools, g.e. (rubbed, soiled, spine chipped at head and foot, split at head). [Wing S-1265]. Provenance: Sir Ja. Flemming, Provost of Edinburgh (binding, (?) bound for presentation); Robert A. Dundas (armorial bookplate). This is the third recorded copy of this work in a binding from this so-far unidentified workshop (?"Murray's binders"). The other two are item 98. Maggs 1075, and plate 58 in Hobson. English Bindings... of J.R.Abbey (descibed in the Abbey sale (Sotheby, 20 June 1967, lot 1980) as an "elaborate Scottish seventeenth century binding... of the utmost rarity, and no other one of comparable importance in private ownership seems to be recorded."