September 5-7, 2023 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/5/2023
Samuel Rush Meyrick’s landmark study of ancient armor in 1824, and has been a mainstay of the discipline ever since. This very scarce and complete First Edition three volume set is bound in early 20th century leather, and is in exceptional condition. Meyrick famously did his own engravings for the books, almost all of them hand colored with incredible attention to detail. There is a small ex libris mark in the front of the volumes which indicates they were a Christmas present circa 1936. 80 plates of which 70 are hand-colored, with hand-painted initials beginning each chapter. Meyrick's contributions to the field of armor cannot be overstated as even contemporaries praised the work, comparing it to Westminster Abbey, and his holdings included the Meyrick Helmet, the Witham Shield, and others, including numerous pieces in the Wallace Collection and the British Museum. CONDITION: Very good as contemporarily bound with some very minor foxing and staining common to old paper. Plates are clear and crisp with excellent color. This is a very good example of this very hard-to-find set of books.
Item Dimensions: 16 x 12 x 7"