London and the Home Counties--Petrie, Henry

16 WATERCOLOUR DRAWINGS and one oil sketch (approximately 180 x 290mm., or the reverse), 27 pencil or watercolour drawings (approximately 180 x 290mm., or the reverse), 27 smaller drawings (140 x 180mm.), and 3 pocket sketchbooks

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Henry Petrie FSA (1768-1842), was a noted topographical artist, antiquary, and Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London.

“Petrie saw the need to publish a complete ‘corpus historicum’ for early English history, and encouraged by George John, second Earl Spencer, to whom he had been introduced by his close friend Thomas Dibdin, a plan was presented to the Record Commission in 1821, which was sanctioned by the government and parliament. Work began in 1823, with Petrie assisted by his brother-in-law the Revd John Sharpe (1769-1859), and work progressed steadily until 1832, when it was interrupted by Petrie’s illness. In 1834, when the whole text of the first volume had been completed, and a large collection of materials made for further volumes, the work was suspended by an order of the record commissioners. It had been criticized by Francis Palgrave as intrinsically defective, because the project was based on the methods of Dom Bouquet, the French historian, who advocated dispersing extracts in chronological order instead of printing entire texts. Petrie was retired in 1840, and awarded compensation for loss of office. He died in 1842, before the project was revived. Only one volume was ever completed, which was published in 1848 by Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy (who had been trained by Petrie), bearing the title Monumenta historica Britannica, or, Materials for the history of Great Britain from the earliest period to the Norman conquest." (ODNB)

Provenance: Henry Petrie FSA (1768-1842); his brother-in-law, Rev. John Sharpe (1769-1859); thence by family descent; acquired by Sabin Galleries in the early 1970s