[n.d. but ca. 1858-60.]. Small folio, pp. [ii] additional chromolithograph title-page consisting of an oval-shaped decorative border with a small chromolithograph oval paper onlay illustrating a piece of silverware in the centre, [vi], [17]-48; with 17 chromolithograph plates (most retaining tissue guards), and with a number of wood engravings within text; some occasional light browning and soiling, but otherwise clean and bright; original morocco backed blue publisher’s cloth with bevelled edges, all edges gilt, rebacked, covers elaborately tooled and lettered in gilt, spine ruled and lettered in gilt; with book-plate on front paste-down, possibly Charles J Hart; ex-Birmingham Assay Office copy with their small stamp at tail of front free endpaper; a good copy. An attractive copy of this striking chromolithograph work illustrating examples of metal-work and jewellery which had been exhibited at the Art Treasures Exhibition held in Manchester in 1857. After contributing to the guidebooks for the Crystal Palace at Sydenham in 1854 (together with Matthew Digby Wyatt and others), the architect John Burley Waring (1823-1875) was appointed superintendent of ornamental art and sculpture for the Manchester exhibition, described by Elizabeth Pergam as ‘the first blockbuster’ exhibition. To celebrate the occasion, a large illustrated catalogue was issued under the title ‘Art treasures of the United Kingdom from the Art Treasures Exhibition, Manchester’, describing many sculptural and decorative art highlights arranged in categories, with introductory essays by noted commentators, and illustrated with large-scale chromolithographs by, amongst others, the noted photographer and chromolithographer Francis Bedford (1815-1894).
The present ‘Examples of Metal-Work’ originally formed part of that more extensive catalogue, but has been here reissued separately with a new ‘Introduction’ by Waring (not included in the the 1858 publication). The essay by the architect and art historian Wyatt (1820-1877) are apparently the same sheets as those used previously, and includes small wood engravings by the illustrator Robert Dudley (1826-1909). Wyatt had previously published a more extensive illustrated work on the subject in 1852, ‘Metal-Work and its artistic design’, once again illustrated with numerous chromolithographs.