W. Davenport | Historical Portraiture of...the Life of Ali Pacha. London, 1823, folio, blue paper-covered boards

Property from the Loverdos Collection

W. Davenport

Historical Portraiture of the Leading Events in the Life of Ali Pacha. London: Thomas McLean, 1823

Folio (379 x 267mm.), half-title, hand-coloured aquatint frontispiece and 5 plates (6 in total), original blue paper covered boards, with printed label on upper cover, some offsetting of plates onto text, binding worn with upper cover becoming detached and paper torn

The plates "illustrate sentimental events from the life of Ali", the Turkish Pasha whose court employed the Greek language, whilst the "biographical sketch is an extract from the English version of Beauchamp, Life of Ali Pasha, 1823. R.A. Davenport, who produced a new biography of Ali in 1837, may possibly have some connection with the W. Davenport who produced these drawings–of whom nothing is known" (Blackmer).

LITERATURE:

Abbey, Travel 206; Atabey 325; Blackmer 454; Droulia 417