Lot 08105

“THE MILITARY COSTUMES OF TURKEY”, London, Published by Thomas McLean, January 1, 1818, [1823].

FOLIO, COMPLETE with frontispiece, engraved title page and 29 full-page aquatints all hand-coloured. Printed on paper watermarked “1823”.

Exceptionally decorative book, illustrated with hand-colored engraved aquatint plates of military costumes of the Ottoman Empire, by John Heaviside Clark after original drawings by Octavien Dalvimart.

The frontispiece is a portrait of the dedicatee, ‘His Excellency Antonaki Ramadani, minister of the Ottoman Porte to his Britannic Majesty’ while Plate I “Grand Vizier” refers to the large hand-coloured vignette on title-page. The descriptions of Turkish military costumes are in English.

Contemporary red morocco with boards, spine and edges decorated in gilt. External heavy wear: rubbing, bumped spots, worn spine – joints – edges, front board almost detached. Interior” internal joint cracked with first sheets including the frontispiece almost detached, soiling of title-page anf frontispiece, the plates in overall fine condition with just occasional spotting.    

Blackmer 1125