Memoirs of Painting (1824, first edition)
William Buchanan's record of the art market in the early nineteenth century
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
First edition. Two volumes (complete). Hardback, rebound in plain blue binder's cloth with contrasting leather title label to spine. Each 23 × 14cm. xvi + 364pp & 397pp.
Full title: Memoirs of Painting, with a Chronological History of the Importation of Pictures by the Great Masters into England since the French Revolution
William Buchanan’s Memoirs of Painting is a record of the massive transfer of Old Master artworks from continental Europe to Britain during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Written from the perspective of an active, high-profile art dealer, the text details the dispersal and acquisition of major European collections—such as those of Calonne, Robit, and Lucien Bonaparte—while publishing private correspondence between Buchanan and his foreign agents that reveals the financial speculation, negotiations, and logistical hurdles of the wartime art trade. The book includes extensive sales lists, names of buyers, original purchase prices, and resale figures, making it a decent resource for tracking picture provenance.
It was considered exceptionally candid for its time as it presented the art market through the commercial lens of acquisition, speculation, and profit.
Condition
The binding is in poor condition with joints cracked, part of the backstrip of volume one is nearly detached, and rubbing to all corners. The contents are in better condition. Volume one has some pulling to the binding at the start of the book but pages clean, volume 2 has secure inner binding and clean pages. The books were previously owned by a smoker and have some residual tobacco odour but it is receding. The books remain in good readable condition, if a little gentle handing needed.
As of July 2026, books remain duty-free. The price of the book incurs no extra US import fees.
Price
£80.00
