First Edition: volume 1 (of 4), a fine chromolithographed frontispiece portrait of the Maharajah of Jaipur, x + 75 pages of letterpress, 39 (xxxvix) plates, 42 pages dedicated to The Razm Namah, History of the War, Appendix I, Appendix II with the chromolithographic title pages of Volumes II & IV, and 3 additional chromolithographic plates (The second and third volumes contained 100 photographs of Indian art work, while Volume IV also included autotype reproductions of the illustrations of Emperor Akbar's own copy of the Razmanama, the Persian epic), each page of the letterpress has a decorative border, patterned endpapers, bound in the original highly gilt decorated cloth covered boards both front, back and spine - the cloth is slightly worn at the top and bottom of the spine and along the edges but the overall impression is bright and attractive, a very good copy.
Rare Book Society of India (https://www.rarebooksocietyofindia.org/postDetail.php?id=196174216674_10151934448041675)
'The Jeypore Exhibition of 1883 is regarded as among the most important industrial exhibitions of the 19th century, where specimens of the best art work of India were curated.
'A permanent "memorial" of the exhibition was produced as a four-part set of illustrated volumes, authored by Hendley and commissioned by the visionary Maharaja of Jaipur. The first volume contained a number of chromolithographs and a general description of the plates in the first three books of the set.
'The exhibits detailed in the book include armour, jewellery, carpets, metal, stone and wood inlay work, hookahs, ivory carving and inlay, lacquer ware, pottery, native musical instruments, manuscripts and paintings.
'T.H. Hendley, a British surgeon posted in the princely state of Jaipur, is credited with organising the Jeypore Exhibition. He was also the curator of Jaipur's landmark, the Albert Hall Museum.
'Griggs was a pioneer in chromolithography and photo-chromo-lithography. He was famous for developing cost-effective, high-fidelity colour printing processes that captured the intricate details of gold leaf, illuminated borders, and textile patterns.
'There was not a standard commercial trade release. The Maharaja financed the entire publication. Most complete sets were bound and presented directly to leading international museums, royal families, and high-ranking dignitaries. Only a very limited number of copies were ever sold to the public, making original first-edition components exceptionally rare on the market.'
No publisher indicated, Mr Griggs is named in Hendley's Introductory Notice.
- Overall Condition: Very good
- Size: Folio (372 x 278 mm)
