Description

[003479] Nicholson, Francis. The Practice of Drawing and Painting Landscape from Nature, in Water Colours: Exemplified in a Series of Instructions Calculated to Facilitate the Progress of the Learner Etc Etc.. London: J. Booth and T. Clay, 1820. First Edition. 4to. Hardback. Good. [4], iv, 91pp, [1], five plates. Original boards, new spine to match, lacking original printed label.

Rubbed to extremities, corners and edges bumped and worn, light white marks to top left corner of lower cover. Previous owners name to head of title, very slightly browned, otherwise fairly bright and clean.

With five plates (one line engraving, two lithographs and three aquatints), two of which are folding.

The more uncommon first edition, there was a second edition published in 1823.

Prideaux notes that Nicholson (1753-1844) was one of the founders of the Old Water-Colour Society, and that he “settled down as a landscape draughtsman, finding a ready market for his very numerous works, and, later on, attaining to the distinction of having his drawings fraudulently copied … The Practice of Drawing is a somewhat elaborate treatise, but full of interest, as showing how far in 1820 water-colour landscape art had become emancipated from the earlier traditions of the stained drawing” (Prideaux, Aquatint Engraving, pages 199-200).

Abbey, Life 162