[Rarebooks] fs: Scare 1816 Tassie Glass Seal Catalogue

[Joslin Hall Rare Books]

Tassie, William. DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF DEVICES AND MOTTOS ENGLISH, 
FRENCH, AND ITALIAN, FROM ENGRAVED SEALS, FORMED IN COMPOSITION PASTE, AND 
SOLD BY WILLIAM TASSIE, LEICESTER-SUQARE.

London; William Bulmer and Co.: 1816.

William Tassie was the nephew of James Tassie, whom Eliza Meteyard called 
"one of the most remarkable artistic characters of the eighteenth century" 
(Life & Works of Wedgwood). The elder Tassie was a Scottish stonemason 
turned artist/entrepreneur who found fame and fortune amidst the Classical 
Revival by creating an excellent series of casts of antique gems, cameos 
and intaglios in colored paste, enamel and sulfur. James Tassie developed 
his techniques using colored potash-lead glass in plaster-of-Paris moulds 
in the 1760s and 70s. He modeled various lines including one of portrait 
busts, did some on-off work for Wedgwood, and eventually created copies of 
more than 15,000 antique classical carved gems and cameos using originals 
borrowed from the great private collections. James Tassie and Wedgwood 
became business rivals and eventually started sniping at each other's 
productions. Wedgwood praised Tassie's skill while also noting that his own 
seals and cameos were better, to which Tassie countered that his were 
better because his glass paste and sulfur productions were not subject to 
the distorting effects of shrinkage which affected Wedgwood's works.

The Adam-era marketplace would prove big enough for both men, and for many 
years well-to-do collectors filled cabinets with paste and pottery cameos 
and intaglios, and indeed Tassie's nephew William would carry on the work 
into the 1840s. The Tassies issued several catalogs; an updated and 
expanded version of this one was issued in 1820. Hardcover. 4"x7", [3] 43 
pages; bound in old pasteboard covers with a printed title and decorative 
design, parchment spine, newer endpapers; bookplate removed; penned 
ownership signature of "RD Shepard - London 27 Sept. 1818" on the title 
page. [06799] $700.00

Illustrations-
<http://www.joslinhall.com/images03/th-06799.jpg>



JOSLIN HALL RARE BOOKS, ABAA
Fine books of the 16th-20th centuries
on the decorative and fine arts & design

Post Office Box 516, Concord, Massachusetts 01742 USA
telephone (617) 492-5367

--> Subscribe to our free email News List and get special
      discounts and offers on selected books!
<http://joslinhall.com/mailman/listinfo/jhrbnews_joslinhall.com>

--> Our full-service website features 86 separate subject
      categories, and has full search capabilities.
<http://www.joslinhall.com>

--> Visit our new BARGAIN BIN pages for a selection
      of good, inexpensive books for your bookshelf!
<http://www.joslinhall.com/special-1.htm>

  ~~

TERMS:
All payments must be in U.S. funds and negotiable through a U.S. bank; We 
accept checks, money orders, American Express, Visa and Mastercard. Books 
may be reserved pending payment; Institutions may be billed; Standard 
courtesies to institutions and the trade; Postage charges are $5.00 for the 
first book, and $1.50 for each additional book. Shipments outside the U.S. 
will be billed at cost. We accept returns if we are notified within ten 
days of your receipt of the books-please ask for full instructions and 
terms. Massachusetts residents must add 5% state sales tax.

As members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America we are 
committed to upholding high professional standards and making sure your 
bookbuying experience is enjoyable.