Cardonnel's Antiquities of Scotland

Picturesque antiquities of Scotland

Adam de Cardonnel (1746/7-1820) trained as a surgeon, but ‘his easy circumstances left him leisure to indulge his interest in the study of antiquities and numismatics’. He was a founding fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, and assisted Francis Grose in his antiquarian researches during Grose’s Scottish travels. 

Condition & Materials
2 parts only (of 4) in one volume, 4to. pp. iv, 27, [i], [25 leaves]; 11, [i], [25 leaves], the 50 unnumbered leaves printed on the rectos only: etched illustrations on india paper, somewhat browned, are mounted as headpieces on each leaf, with a letterpress description below. 

Contemporary olive morocco, gilt, light wear, probably by Staggemeir and Welcher, who often worked for Edwards of Halifax: triple fillet border, flat-backed spine with overall rococo design composed from various tools including swags, an urn, a lyre, prince-of-wales feathers and incorporating a red morocco lettering-piece, turn-ins with metope-and-pentaglyph roll, all edges gilt. 

Neat early bibliophile’s inscription on front free endpaper, describing this as a ‘proof impression’ and noting the price paid as two guineas; 19th century armorial bookplate of Simeon Warner. Parts three and four were published in 1793. 

References
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Part of lot 94, sold by Christies, 22 October 1992, in their sale 4852.