Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 12.djvu/595

 10 s. XIL DEC. is, 1909.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

491

CRAKE, WILTSHIRE OR DEVONSHIR: ARTIST. Is anything known of a painte of this name ? I have a fine portrait of Mis Servington Savery of Marlborough, signe and dated Crake, 1687.

LEONARD C. PRICE.

Essex Lodge, Ewell.

THE " STRAWBERRY HILL

CATALOGUE. (10 S. vii. 461, 517 ; xii. 216, 294, 353, 430.

MR. E. P. MERRITT'S further contribution on this intricate bibliography is most interest ing. Exactly as he states, I was at fault in including the '^Edes Walpolianae, 1 1767 : as this refers to the Houghton Hall Collection and in writing that the seventh- and eighth day sales were held, I was misled by the newspaper paragraphs so naming the sales held 4 and 5 May, although they were ninth and tenth days, according to the catalogues. Burn's fictitious, but ingenious results of the illusive two-day print sale helped still further to confuse, and on these points MR. MERRITT, as the result of his more careful comparison, is triumphant. Of the No. 3 issue, I have not seen a copy, but between No. 1 and No. 2 there are greater differences than MR. MERRITT indicated in his note at 10 S. vii. 462.

In the copy before me the sixth day's sale ends with lot 148, on p. 67 ; but inserted is p. 85, presumably from a copy of No. 2, in which the sixth day's sale ends with lot 160. This difference in pagination would be ex- plained if this added page came from No. 3 edition, in which, MR. MERRITT informs us, the lots were often catalogued at greater length. But I do not attempt an explana- tion, although the three or four different 3opies at the B.M. would probably enable tne to do so ; but before I have time to 3onsult them a solution of the puzzle may 3e forthcoming.

Of the recataloguing of the prints some nformation is provided by J. H. Burn in i memoir of Thomas Dodd, contributed to Vhe Cornhill Magazine under the title of

The Last of the Grand School of Con- loisseurs. 1 It was reprinted in 1879 for Foseph Mayer, F.S.A., and from the rather icarce volume I extract the following :

"Shortly after the completion of his two years iuty in Oxford, Dodd received news of the great ale at Strawberry Hill. The prints of that extra- rdmary collection had been placed in the Round

Tower, expressly built for them by Horace Walpole. George Rooms, the auctioneer who managed the sale, had made them into bulky lots, so as to get through them in two days, and Dodd was invited to examine this arrangement, upon public protest from nearly all the collectors in England. They called for Dodd. He came, and instantly pronounced the proposal absurd, and ruinous to the estate. Consequently, at a commission of 1J per cent, he undertook to redistribute the lots, arid make a catalogue raisonnS. It was done in the utmost haste, whilst the grand sale proceeded. Ultimately, the prints were re- moved to Robins's Rooms, at the Piazza, Co vent Garden, and there were disposed of in a ten days' auction. Robins's 300 lots formed 1,331 under the new arrangement ; four of them alone made 900 in Dodd's hands, which sold for 1,800/. The entire proceeds reached 3,840/. 10s."

Of the pamphlets describing Strawberry Hill much could be written, but I am ex- tending my reply only to deal with the ' Description J issued in 1772, or at least before 1774. Although they were the most important collectors of the Strawberry Press publications, neither George Baker nor J. W. K. Eyton had a copy of this early work. The first-named formed from Kirkgate's sale and other sources, a very fine collection, which was sold by Sotheby in 1825. Many of the best items went to William Upcott and Cruden, the historian of Gravesend ; and it was from the library of the last-named that Eyton secured his greatest treasures. But a careful search through these sale catalogues has produced only the following

From Baker's sale, lot 791 :

A Description of the Villa of Horace Walpole, with Inventory of Pictures, &c., 4to, n.d.

This may be the unknown 1760 edition. The title is similar so far as it goes to that of the 1774 edition. Neither of these collectors had copies of any 1772 edition, but rom Eyton's sale catalogue I transcribe :

Lot 1462. [Description of the Villa of Horace VValpole at Strawberry Hill, near Twickenham ; with an Inventory of the Furniture, Pictures, Curiosities, kc., and Appendix, Additions, and nore Additions, 158 pages, complete, large paper only 6 copies printed), boards, uncut, 4to, 1774.

Lot 1463. Description of the Villa at Strawberry Hill, 158 pages, complete, small paper (only 100 opies printed), folded, uncut, small 4to, 1774.

Lot 1464. Description of the Villa. Another dition of 65 pages, complete, sewed, uncut, 4to, 774.

This edition is stated by Kirkgate to have

>een printed only for the use of the servants

howing the house. If this catalogue can be depended upon for

ccuracy of description and it has obviously >een compiled with exceptional care the

upposed edition of 1772 cited by Lowndes s that of the third issue in 1774.