First edition of the sale catalogue for the Hamilton Palace Collection, notable for its early and lavish use of photographic illustrations; the catalogue was also available without illustrations (at 5s – the illustrated set cost 21s), a copy of which is also offered here.

James Craig Annan and his father Thomas had been commissioned to photograph the palace and grounds by the Duke of Hamilton in around 1869. In the present catalogue of the house contents the younger Annan’s skills were challenged by the location of certain pieces; in some instances he deletes the overly fussy background, while in others items are shown in situ. Mirrors prove typically problematic – Annan’s solution here may not be the most subtle. The sale, comprising 2,213 lots dispersed in five parts between Saturday, 17 June and Thursday, 20 July 1882, achieved a total of £397,000, and included Old Master paintings from every school, as well as important furniture, sculpture, porcelain, lacquer and objets d’art, many with extraordinary provenance.

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