119 - NEWCASTLE (William CAVENDISH, Duke of).

NEWCASTLE (William CAVENDISH, Duke of). A New Method and Invention for Training Horses [...] Second edition. London, Brindley, 1737. Large folio, (6) leaves, 236 pp. Brown half-shagreen, decorated ribbed spine (19th-century binding). Spine faded, scuffed. The illustrations, bound at the end, consist of 6 double-page frontispieces (title frontispiece dated 1658, equestrian portrait of Newcastle winning a battle, an equestrian portrait of Newcastle on a pedestal, a portrait of Newcastle in a triumphal chariot drawn by centaurs and surrounded by horses kneeling before him, an equestrian portrait of Newcastle soaring through the air surrounded by seated horses and about to be received by the Gods of Olympus, equestrian portrait of King Charles II) and 37 double-page plates depicting horses, riding exercises, stud farms, hunts, bits, and spurs, etc. The last plate (bound here before plate 41) contains portraits of the Duke of Newcastle’s two sons and their wives, as well as his three daughters with their husbands. “In several plates, the subject stands out against a background depicting the noble duke’s numerous castles and parks, some shown from various different angles. The six frontispieces—curious monuments to the author’s naïve vanity—and the 36 plates were drawn by Abraham de Diepenbeke [1607–1675, a pupil of Rubens] and engraved by various masters. Despite the inaccuracies in the depiction of the horses—as was always the case at that time—these plates possess genuine artistic value. The backgrounds, landscapes, cartouches, and ornaments are particularly well rendered."" Mennessier de La Lance, II, 247. """The paper and printing of the 1737 edition are far superior to those of the first [1657]"" Mennessier de La Lance, II, 248. Paper slightly and uniformly yellowed, a few faint water stains, a few foxing spots.