Lot 151: DUBOST, Antoine (1769-1825). A Collection of Eleven Plates, executed in lithography, representing a View of Newmarket and the Life of the Race Horse . Paris: J. Smith for the author, 1818. Elephant oblong 2° (505 x 670mm). Parallel letterpress

DUBOST, Antoine (1769-1825). A Collection of Eleven Plates, executed in lithography, representing a View of Newmarket and the Life of the Race Horse. Paris: J. Smith for the author, 1818. Elephant oblong 2° (505 x 670mm). Parallel letterpress title and text in French and English. Lithographic frontispiece and 10 lithographic plates by Dubost. (Title lightly soiled, occasional light spotting and soiling to text leaves and plates' margins.) Modern blue half morocco, lettered in gilt on cover and spine.

FIRST EDITION. DUBOST'S RARE SERIES OF LITHOGRAPHS OF NEWMARKET, which includes portraits of a number of thoroughbreds descended from the Godolphin arabian. The frontispiece states that the plates include portraits of the 'most celebrated running horses in 1809', whilst also showing the 'life of the race horse from the moment of his entering the stud till that of his being put up for auction'. Dubost, thanks to a substantial private income, was able to concentrate on both the painting and racing of horses. A friend and contemporary of Carle Vernet, he studied in Paris under Vincent whilst also owning and riding horses in a number of important races. After a period in the French army he went to England in 1806, apparently attracted by the lure of Newmarket and the high quality of the racing, and in 1809 he painted the twelve canvases on which the present series of prints are based. The present copy includes the 2-leaf 'Addition' (in French only), which was probably a separate publication and is sometimes lacking (cf. the Gloucester-Mellon copy, without the 'Addition'). Only 3 other copies of the work are recorded at auction by ABPC online since 1946. Mellon/Podeschi 106; Mennessier de la Lance I, pp. 413-4.