$1,185
Attributed to Thackeray, William Makepeace (1811-1863), Illustrations from Gorilla Fight , London: J. McLean, comprising original wraps and four plates, now bound in cloth, oblong folio, (bookplates, toning, pencil markings, bumped, first plate with tear at hinge approx. 1-1/2 in., scattered soiling). Van Duzer 77. Wallace Catalogue No. 1379. Provenance: Parke Bernet Sale No. 424, January 27, 1943, Lot 345. Accompanied by manuscript and typed notes from notable Thackeray collector Walter T. Wallace discussing the work. The notes state that the work is rarely found with the first leaf of text, and a Wallace-era type-written copy is included, titled Account of the Milling-Match between Entellus and Dares, Translated form the Fifth Book of Aeneid, by One of the Fancy, From "Tom Cribb's Memorial to Congress, London, 1819" . The text describes a violent boxing match. Wallace's notes provide the attribution of the illustrations to Thackeray, but also suggest that Sir Edward Landseer provided the central drawings. Both Thackeray and Landseer are discussed in relation to the authorship of the text as well. This rare work is believed to be a possible reaction, shocked or otherwise, of the brutality of bare-knuckle prize fighting in Britain, specifically the epic thirty-seven round battle between the pugilists Tom Sayers and John Heenan, held at Farnborough, Hampshire, on April 17, 1860.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2008-11-16
