The Wilkie Gallery: A Selection of the Best Pictures of the Late Sir David Wilkie, R.A. Including his Spanish and Oriental sketches. With notices biographical and critical. Published by Virtue & Co, London, New York. Circa 1848 (dated by World Cat.). Folio up to 15″ tall. 65 tissue guarded steel engraved black and white plates. The first 31 plates are numbered and found in the biographical section which runs to page 93. The remaining 34 plates are titled and bound in the order as suggested; each of these latter plates is accompanied by 2 to 3 pages of text specific to the plate (not paginated). Full leather with blind and gilt embossing front, back and spine; dentelle borders, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Lower corner of front rubbed exposing board, light rubbing to other edges. Frontispiece portrait of Wilkie and vignette of his birth place are removed. 3 plates have very light border spotting; 2 have moderate foxing; the remaining plates are in mint condition. Light bleed mark from dye to tail edge of first few leaves and otherwise fine without markings, tears or folds.
Sir David Wilkie (1785 -1841), was a Scottish artist who painted in a wide variety of genres, including historical scenes, portraits, and scenes from his travels to Europe and the Middle East. In his later years he was the Principal Painter in Ordinary to King William IV and then Queen Victoria. Wilkie is considered one of Scotland’s finest artists.
