“PERSPECTIVE IS THE GRAMMAR OF PAINTING”

NOBLE, Thomas. Practical Perspective, Exemplified on Landscapes. London: Edward Orme, 1805. Large quarto, contemporary three-quarter brown calf rebacked, marbled boards. $1600.

First edition of this practical course on perspective for landscape painters, with 12 aquatint plates, two hand-colored.

This distillation of Noble's practical instruction covers the rendering of parallel, perpendicular and inclined planes, circles and other curves, arches, vanishing points, and shadows, each topic with at least one explanatory plate. Lowndes, 1695. Early owner signature on title page.

Text and plates generally quite clean. Expert restoration to corners of contemporary marbled boards. A handsome copy.