first edition
1888 · New York
by Curtis, Charles B.
New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1888. First printing. Very good plus.. Rare first edition of this study of Rembrandt's "most notable" etchings, illustrated with fifty photogravure plates. This study followed Curtis's 1883 descriptive catalogue of Velasquez and Murillo, and establishes in its biographical introduction that a taste for Rembrandt's etchings, above all others, is indispensable to the cultured human mind: "No test of one's taste and higher cultivation is more sure than the love for and capacity of appreciating these marvelous works." Each of the 50 plates is followed by descriptive and historical notes. Particularly rare complete and in good condition. 15.5'' x 11.5''. Original grey morocco stamped in pictorial gilt. Top edge gilt. Unpaginated. [24] pages, followed by 50 numbered photogravure plates, each preceded by title leaf and followed by description. Front joint and hinge starting, but sound. Rubbing and slight chipping to boards, a few smudges to early leaves. Plates sharp.
(Inventory #: 53193)