A History of the Art of Engraving in Mezzotint from its Origins to the Present Times, including an Account of the Works of the Earliest Artists

Winchester: Printed by J. Robbins, 1786. 8vo.  190 x 125 mm., [7 ¼ x 5 inches].  [4], 100, [12] pp.  Bound in contemporary calf, decorated spine with red leather label; joints expertly repaired with Japanese tissue, title page a bit foxed, sporadic foxing to margins of some leaves.  This copy is inscribed by the Chelsum and is a gift book inscribed to a student who was awarded his Doctor of Divinity.  With faults a sound and not unattractive copy. 
Only edition.  A rare study of the mezzotint technique with detailed information on engravers who practiced the art.  Originating in Germany in the mid-17th century, (truncated) this technique of preparing a copper plate with a rocker quickly spread to the Netherlands and then on to England by the late 1660’s.  The rocker made it possible to create fields of dense or light impressions on the plate that retained ink after being wiped.  It allowed for high levels of tonality from black to white thus creating images, especially portraits, that were vibrant and seemingly lifelike.  John Evelyn was one of the first English writers to discuss the technique in his publication, Sculptura, or the history and art of Chalcography and engraving in copper  (1662).  A few years later, a more definitive work was published by Alexander Browne under the title, Ars Pictoria (1669). 
Chelsum (1738-1801) was a scholar, priest and collector of prints.  Robert Hole, in his biography written for ODNB, calls Chelsum’s book, an “erudite” study of the art where he built on the work of these and other authors, by supplying short biographical sketches of the engravers and bringing the history up to date by including 18th century artists.  He not only focused on English artists, but including German, Dutch, and Italian engravers and providing a list of titles that were produced by the mezzotint process.  Bigmore &Wyman write, “The work treats of the nature of the art of mezzotint, its supposed origin and invention, and of the several successive artists who have practiced it.” 
Rare in commerce; no copy has appeared at auction since 2021. 
National Portrait Gallery Website, “The Early History of Mezzotint”.  Bigmore & Wyman A Bibliography of Printing, p. 133.  Robert Hole, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, (2004).  . (Inventory #: 1353)