The Analysis of Beauty. Written with a view of fixing the fluctuating Ideas of Taste.

William Hogarth

Published by London: Printed by J. Reeves for the Author, and sold by him at his House in Leicester-Fields., 1753

4to. xxii, [2], 153, [5] pp. Prints published by W. Hogarth, and are to be had at his house in Leicester Fields [154-155] p. Page [156] is blank. The leaf of Figures referr'd to in the book was printed shortly after this copy was distributed to subscribers; an advertisement in the Public Advertiser, 17 December 1753, states: Those gentlemen who subscribed for the above work, and have already received it, are desired to send to the author for an additional leaf, which is intended for the more easy finding such passages in the book, as relate to the figures in the prints. That leaf is untrimmed and loosely inserted at the rear. According to Paulson, p. 220, "The prints were first distributed to subscribers or sold separately around the date given in the publication line" (i.e. about 5 March 1753). The subscription ticket and various advertisements for the work state that the prints are "fit to frame for furniture"; if the prints were so treated, the copy they were intended to accompany will not contain the plates, though they were clearly intended to be issued with the book. Paulson also states: "All the subscribers copies of the book I have seen lack the folded-in plates" (noting one exception, Horace Walpole s copy); he does not indicate how many or which copies he had seen. Both plates here are marked: Designed, Engraved, and Publish'd by Wm. Hogarth, March 5th 1753, according to Act of Parliament. printed on heavy, fine paper and never folded-in. A print, "Columbus breaking the egg," was used as the subscription ticket for the work; either the ticket or a later state of the print, with the subscription information removed and a publication line added (1 December 1753), is found as a frontispiece in some copies, though there is no evidence for the statement by Burke (p. ix) that the later state was "usually bound as a frontispiece". In contemporary calf-backed marbled boards, all original blanks extant. Training first as an engraver, Hogarth became an independent illustrator as early as 1720. In his spare time he studied painting techniques, notably under Sir James Thornhill. By 1730 he established himself as a portrait painter. Yet at the same time Hogarth began creating sets of anecdotal pictures which brilliantly satirized society and its activities. The first such set, A Harlot's Progress (1732), gained for Hogarth a strong and lasting national reputation. During the following decades he both painted and engraved individual works and sets of images which forged the cornerstone for English satirical art. Such great masters as Rowlandson, Gillray, Heath and Cruikshank followed in Hogarth's footsteps.The opening print for Analysis of Beauty has as its central scene a courtyard filled with some of the most famous works of classical sculpture. It is believed to have been inspired by a passage in Socrates' analysis of beauty based upon art objects in the yard of a friend. In Hogarth's 'yard' the great sculpture is intermingled with various, often comic, contemporary art objects. The second print is a ballroom scene with dancers ranging from the elegant to the ungainly; in the lower left corner is a pile of tricorne hats; forming a border around the main image are compartments with diagrams relating to the text. Plate I is the second state with the inscription ET TU BRUTE removed from Quin's pedestal but the marks of some of the letters visible. Plate II is the first state. Centre folds supported to rear and some small edge tears also. Two corners infilled from drawing pin damage, not effecting image area. Read, S.E. Some observations on William Hogarth s Analysis of beauty, Huntington library quarterly 5:3 (April 1942), p. 363-364. Burke, J. Prefatory matter to his edition of The analysis of beauty (Oxford, 1955), p. ix-lxii. Paulson, R. Hogarth s graphic works, rev. ed. (New Haven and London, 1970), cat. no. 195-196. Brunet III, 250; Lowndes III, 1082. ESTC T2690. Seller Inventory # PS.701

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Analysis of Beauty. Written with a view ...
Publisher: London: Printed by J. Reeves for the Author, and sold by him at his House in Leicester-Fields.
Publication Date: 1753
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Edition: 1st Edition