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SOMMERVILLE, MAXWELL. Engraved Gems, Their History and an Elaborate View of Their Place in Art. Profusion of illustrations. 4to, publisher's

SOMMERVILLE, MAXWELL. Engraved Gems, Their History and an Elaborate View of Their Place in Art. Profusion of illustrations. 4to, publisher's gilt-pictorial maroon cloth, edges a bit rubbed, spine and top portion of front cover faded, spine with some soiling. Philadelphia, 1889

  • Notes: first edition of Sommerville's "largest, most elaborate, and most important monograph"--Sinkankas 6215, who goes on to say: "This splendid treatise contains so much interesting matter that in places it is fully rewarding reading even if one has no special interest in engraved gems." Sommerville taught glyptology at the University of Pennsylvania and was the country's foremost expert on engraved gems. His collection was placed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1887. The book is in part technical and part autobiographical as his life was largely spent travelling in search of gems. Sinkankas states that most copies suffer broken hinges and wear due to the unwieldy binding; this copy is very good with sound hinges and therefore uncommon in this condition.

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March 20, 2003 12:00 AM EST
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