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Lot 191

An Irish George II embossed picture of a chaffinch by Samuel Dixon, circa 1775
from Dixon's 'basso relievo' set of 'Foreign and Domestick Birds'

The Gentleman's Library Sale
23 – 24 February 2021, 10:00 GMT
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £2,040 inc. premium

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An Irish George II embossed picture of a chaffinch by Samuel Dixon, circa 1775

from Dixon's 'basso relievo' set of 'Foreign and Domestick Birds'
the chaffinch perched upon a branch, with butterflies, convolvulus, snowdrops and other flowers, in original black and gilt-japanned frame, the rear with a later cut and applied facsimile paper dedication to the Countess of Meath, 44cm x 33.3cm overall including frame

Footnotes

Samuel Dixon's second and more ambitious set of bird pictures, the so-called 'Foreign and Domestick Birds' differed from his 1750 set in size and in the complexity of their compositions, some featuring as many as three birds, insects, flowers and fruit, and shells and corals.

Faulkner's Dublin Journal reported on 21 August 1753 that 'Mr Dixon of Capel-street, is designing a most curious large set of Pictures', but it was not until 9 September 1755 that they were finished and ready for distribution to subscribers. Although the earlier set had carried a single dedication, each of the twelve images from this new edition carried an individual dedication which represented a distinguished roll-call of the Irish gentry.

Many of the 1755 works correspond closely to George Edwards' Natural History of Uncommon Birds, but others such as the canary, goldfinch and bullfinch were invented by Dixon. The works were offered in ebonised and gilt-japanned frames which often survive.

At the same time Dixon advertised completion of this set he announced his intention of going abroad and thus selling off his stock (excepting the newest work) with auction notices published in January 1756.

Examples from the later set are illustrated in Ada K. Longfield, Ada K. Longfield, 'Samuel Dixons's embossed pictures of Flowers and Birds', Quarterly Bulletin of the Irish Georgian Society, vol. XVIII, no.4, 1975, pp. 28 - 30, figs. 10, 11 and 12.

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