Miniature Painters British and Foreign, J.J. Foster, Signed Edition Royale, No. 13/45. 1903.

Miniature Painters British and Foreign, With Some Account of Those Who Practised in America in the Eighteenth Century. Illustrated by Numerous Examples Selected from Celebrated Collections. In Two Volumes. By J.J. Foster.

Contain work by the finest miniature painters, including Cosway, Holbein, Isaac and Peter Oliver, Van Dyck, Petitot, Smart, and many others.

Published by Dickinsons, Fine Art Publishers to the Late Queen Victoria, London, and E.P. Dutton & Co, New York, 1903. First edition. This is the 'Edition Royale' version of the book which was limited to just 45 copies, of which this is numbered 13. Signed by the author. 570 Copies of the book were printed for sale. This was a rather exclusive edition, with there also being an "Edition de Luxe" which had 175 copies, and the remainder being known as the "Author's Edition."  Printed by Butler and Tanner, Frome and London.

Note: The American edition of the book, in which Dutton is listed above Dickinsons on the title page, had different numbered print runs of the 3 different versions of the book.

Housed in a stiff card slipcase with paper over boards. The slipcase is worn and scuffed with some exposed areas of board, and is partially split along one seam. The slipcase is also sunned.

The two books are in near fine condition - full vellum covers, with Yap fold protecting the contents. The vellum is lightly worn with a few marks. Inside, the endpapers are marbled with gilt dentelle inner edges. Discrete bookseller's sticker to first pastedown. Vol II is slightly more rubbed than Vol. I, and with just a little cracking to front endpaper joint, but both volumes are soundly bound.

Gilt lettering to covers, and with original red silk closure ties (frayed and torn). All soundly bound. The colour plates are beautifully presented, with captioned tissue guards.

Text is bright and clean throughout and printed on a substantial high quality paper. Top edge is gilt and remains shiny, with other edges uncut. A most handsome set, in two volumes, complete. Scarce and desirable.

Text in English.

Vol I: xii + 137pp. Plus LXXVII Plates with captioned tissue guards. Frontispiece and an additional plate in colour;

Vol II: viii + 178pp. Plus LXXIX - CXXIII Plates with captioned tissue guards. Frontispiece and an additional plate in colour.

Approximate dimensions: 370mm high x 271mm wide x 95mm deep (in slipcase). Folio size: 14 1/2" x 10 3/4" x 3 3/4" (in slipcase)

Weighs approximately 6.2kg (the set - unpacked).