A Critical Inquiry into Antient Armour: as it Existed in Europe, Particularly in Great Britain, from the Norman Conquest to the Reign of King Charles II.

Beautiful copy of the rare first edition of this standard work on medieval European armour.

With 80 fine illustrations drawn and engraved by Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick (some engraved by Richard Bridgens and William Maddocks).

Complete with three frontispieces with calligraphic titles and engraved vignettes drawn by Richard Bridgens and engraved by Charles Heath, 70 hand-coloured aquatint plates drawn by Meyrick and engraved by himself or William Maddocks, 10 engraved plates drawn by Meyrick and etched by Richard Bridgens, and 27 illuminated chapter initials.

Volume I: 22 hand-coloured plates (VIII to XXX) & 8 b/w etchings (I to VII, XXVI), pp. lxxvii, 206
Volume II: 35 hand-coloured plates (XXXI to LVI), 1 b/w engraving (XLIV), pp. 297
Volume III: 13 hand-coloured plates (LVII to LXXIX) & 1 b/w (LXXX) , pp.147, unpaginated 132-page glossary

The plates are essentially a catalogue of the collection of ancient armour collected by Samuel and his son Llewelyn, with a few items drawn from illuminated manuscripts or grave effigies. The armour includes chainmail suits worn by Norman invaders in the 11th century, knights in battlefield plate armour with heraldic armorial surcoats of the 12th to 13th century, crossbowmen, archers and pikemen of the 15th century, knights in ornately decorated and embossed jousting armour of the 16th century, and Royalist cavaliers of the 17th century.

There are portraits of English kings Richard I, Richard II, Henry VI, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Emperor Maximilian I, Richard Fitzhugh, Earl of Chester, Sir Thomas Peyton, Sir John Harsich, King Charles VII of France with Joan of Arc, Alfonso II, Fifth Duke of Ferrara, knights Templar, etc.

Meyrick (1783-1848), was a lawyer, antiquary, historian and collector of arms and armor. In 1828, he built Goodrich Court, and exhibited his collection in a large armoury there. He was knighted in 1832 after helping to re-organize the armour collections at the Tower of London and Windsor Castle. Most of his collection is now in the Wallace Collection.

Bookplate of Henk Visser (1923-2006), Dutch arms and armory collector, in each volume.

Bound in contemporary red half morocco with gilt tooling on spine, a.e.g., some staining and fading to cloth boards, original endpapers. Some finger smudges and dust to edges of text pages, but plates bright and clean with vivid hand-colour and gilt highlights. A few plates with slight oxidization.