J. PIERPONT MORGAN
PICTURES IN THE COLLECTION AT PRINCES GATE & DOVER HOUSE, LONDON

London: Privately Printed, 1907
Signed Zaehnsdorf Morocco Leather Binding
English, Continental & Modern Schools

A handsome privately printed catalogue of J. Pierpont Morgan’s London picture collection, issued during his lifetime and preserved in a contemporary signed Zaehnsdorf binding.

Bound in dark half morocco leather over green cloth, with raised bands, gilt-ruled spine compartments, marbled endpapers and a gilt top edge. The restrained binding gives this privately issued art catalogue the appearance of a finely appointed Edwardian library volume.

The Catalogue

Pictures in the Collection of J. Pierpont Morgan at Princes Gate & Dover House, London. With an introduction by T. Humphry Ward and biographical and descriptive notes by W. Roberts. London: Privately Printed, 1907.

This volume brings together sections with separate title pages for:

The smaller-format catalogue, in one binding. Unpaginated.

The entries combine artists’ biographies with descriptions of individual paintings and information about their histories. The English section includes such major figures as Constable, Gainsborough, Hogarth, Reynolds, Romney and Turner, while the additional sections extend the catalogue to Continental and modern painting.

A Record of Morgan’s Collecting

Published in 1907, the catalogue documents paintings in Morgan’s collection at Prince’s Gate and Dover House while he was still actively collecting.

Its interest lies in the details recorded about the works: contemporary attributions, subjects, sitters and, where supplied, earlier ownership and exhibition history. It offers a period view of a major private collection, with appeal to readers interested in art provenance, British and European painting, and the history of Gilded Age collecting.

This is the smaller-format catalogue, distinct from the monumental three-volume atlas-folio publication with large reproductive plates.

Signed Zaehnsdorf Binding

Contemporary half morocco leather with matching leather corners and green cloth sides. Five raised spine bands divide gilt-ruled compartments, with gilt title lettering and the date 1907 at the foot.

Marbled endpapers; top edge gilt; fore and lower edges untrimmed.

The binding bears the stamp “BOUND BY ZAEHNSDORF.”

The leather appears very dark, with brown or olive tones in the photographs, contrasting attractively with the lighter green cloth. The binder’s stamp identifies the binding; it is not an autograph or ownership signature by Morgan.

Condition

Very Good overall. Binding firm, with secure hinges and joints.

Light rubbing and handling wear to the leather, principally at the raised bands, joints, corners and spine ends. Gilt lettering and rules remain clear. Green cloth sides show scattered surface marks, light rubbing and handling soil.

Marbled endpapers remain attractive. The gilt top edge retains good luster; fore and lower edges are untrimmed.

Internally clean overall, with minor age-toning and occasional handling marks.

Please examine all photographs as part of the condition description.

An attractive association of J. Pierpont Morgan’s art collection, private Edwardian publishing and a signed Zaehnsdorf leather binding.