1819 ❧ PYNE W. H. The History of the Royal Residences of Windsor Castle, St. James's Palace, Carlton House, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court, Buckingham House, and Frogmore London: Printed for A. Dry by L. Harrison, 1819. 3 volumes, 4to (324 x 273 mm). 100 richly hand colored plates after Wild, Sutherland, Westall, and others. Light offsetting from plates, less than usual. 3/4 deep tan morocco over cloth, spines lettered and decorated in gilt. Provenance: Easton/ Neston image Library (bookplate). The finest, most ambitious architectural color-plate book produced during the English Regency period, celebrated for its matchless detail of royal interior design. Commissioned and organized by the painter and author William Henry Pyne, this monumental work was originally published in 25 monthly parts between 1816 and 1819 before being compiled into three luxury quarto volumes. At a time when European printmakers were focused primarily on exterior landscapes, Pyne's Royal Residences set a new high-water mark for its revolutionary, uncompromising focus on internal spaces, structural vaulting, coffered ceilings, draperies, and historic furnishings. The historical significance of these 100 hand-colored aquatints cannot be overstated. They provide the only surviving comprehensive visual record of several pristine royal interiors before they were drastically altered or destroyed by 19th-century remodeling projects. Most notable is the extensive coverage of Carlton House-the lavish, vanishing palace built for the Prince Regent (later George IV) by Henry Holland and John Nash, which was completely demolished in 1825. The plates likewise preserve the original Stuart-era Baroque layout of Windsor Castle before Sir Jeffry Wyatville's extensive renovations, and the original configurations of Buckingham House long before its 20th-century face-lift. To achieve the 'extraordinary richness of color' that defines the work, each plate underwent a rigorous multi-stage execution. Drawings by elite artists like Charles Wild and William Westall were meticulously engraved into aquatint plates, printed with subtle initial base tints, and then painstakingly finished by hand by teams of master colorists using vibrant watercolor washes. Abbey Scenery 396; Adams 132; Tooley 389. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing