A bejeweled Shelley's Prometheus Unbound, the magnificent Vickery-Benz-Chevalier copy

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Rare Books, Autographs & Maps

By Doyle

Nov 25, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-11-25 10:00:00 2025-11-25 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Rare Books, Autographs & Maps https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/doyle/rare-books-autographs-maps-21321
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• Lot Description
  Collection: The Abrams Family CollectionSHELLEY, PERCY BYSSHE Prometheus Unbound. London: C. & J. Ollier, 1820. First edition, the second issue with "Miscellaneous" correctly spelled. Light blue jewelled crushed levant morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, covers with rounded bevelled edges, covers with gilt fillet border around an onlaid brown morocco strapwork border containing gilt climbing vine in onlaid green morocco gilt, enclosing a broad panel border of repeated gilt scallop tools and interlaced onlaid brown morocco gilt corner ornaments, an onlaid brown morocco gilt saw-tooth innermost border framing large rectangular sunken central panels: the upper panel with purple onlaid morocco gilt eagle with single ruby eye, against a torch of fire over a blue sphere in mauve outline, rising from a bunch of four stylized flowers, at the top two more flowers, the design in onlaid green, orange and red morocco gilt against a densely gilt dotted ground with 16 carnelians and an interlocking chain pattern of onlaid black calf; the lower panel with small central ornament of a small mother-of-pearl heart with gilt Scales of Justice in a circular frame of onlaid brown morocco gilt with a shaped circle of black calf strip enclosing a pattern of green leaves, purple onlaid morocco flowers, and a pineapple in a gilt stippled ground and incorporating the panel border: a background of green climbing vine amidst densely gilt dotted ground, with four cornerpiece garnets, 12 amethysts and 3 small rubies; spine in six compartments with five raised gilt fillet bands, gilt lettered in two compartments, a repeated gilt lozenge with scallops in the rest; board edges with single gilt fillet, elaborate gilt tooled and black and green strapwork turn-ins enclosing gilt lettered quotations from Shelley, doublures of brown morocco with decorative gilt tracery, each doublure set with a fine oval portrait miniature of Shelley, as a young man and as a child, the front doublure set with 5 pearls and 5 garnets, the rear with 10 turquoises all set in forget-me-not flowers, free endpages of matching brown morocco. Housed in a straight-grain dark blue morocco case. Slight wear to the case, but in all a magnificent, unblemished example. Bookplates of Doris Louise Benz and Paul Chevalier. A distinguished example of a jewelled binding, this originated from the collection of Willis Vickery, sold by Anderson Galleries in 1933. If Vickery inserted a bookplate, it is no longer present. It then passed to Doris Louise Benz, and was offered in her sale at Christie's in 1984. Purchased by Paul Chevalier, it was offered again in his 1990 Christie's sale and was acquired by The Abrams Family Collection, where it has remained until the present time. NYSDEC License 187-1.

  Condition

  *Sold together with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation License (ECL) 187-1, with authorization to sell Interstate and Intrastate, expiration date of 6/25/26. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact and our Organization shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. Please contact the specialist department to request further information or additional images that may be available. Request a condition report
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