>LARGE REVERSED CALF BINDING<The Art of William Quiller Orchardson

Seeley and Co./ Macmillan and Co, London / New York, 1895 79 printed pages. Monochrome frontispiece, 3 monochrome tissue-guarded plates, 23 monochrome illustrations. Marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. Slight foxing on recto of frontispiece. 19 x 27 cm. Full reversed calf gilt (binding with the inner side of the skin facing outward). Spine with gilt lettering. Upper cover with gilt lettering within an Art Nouveau influenced gilt design of fruit, flowers and a songbird. In very good condition. "William Quiller Orchardson was an outstanding narrative painter, who deftly used body language and expression, as well as descriptive detail, to communicate feelings and mood. He was also a gifted portraitist. As a mature student of the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh, he joined other talented students of Robert Scott Lauder, with whom he formed life-long and mutually inspiring friendships. In 1862 he moved to London where he shared a house and studio with fellow student John Pettie. His large, meticulous paintings of historical and contemporary subjects were much admired. In 1877 he was elected a Royal Academician and in 1907 knighted." (National Gallery Scotland). This work is commonly found in a red cloth binding- this is the only example I have located with a reversed calf variant binding & it is in near fine condition (uncommon for this type of binding 125 years old).. 1st Edition. Soft cover. Near Fine.