Moor (Edward) [Sri Sarva Deva Sabha] The Hindu Pantheon, first edition, engraved plates, for T.Johnson, by T.Bensley, 1810

Lot description

Moor (Edward) [Sri Sarva Deva Sabha] The Hindu Pantheon, first edition, engraved frontispiece of Ganesha and 104 plates, with Directions to Binder/errata leaf, light offsetting to title, occasional spotting to plates, a few with caption/imprint trimmed, contemporary ink inscription "Montague Cholmeley Norton Place" with quotation from Pope to front endpapers, contemporary calf, gilt, a little rubbed, rebacked preserving old gilt spine, corners bumped, 4to, for T.Johnson, by T.Bensley, 1810. ⁂ Edward Moor fought in the Mahratta Wars. He was an early member of the Asiatic Society of Bengal and founder member of the Royal Asiatic Society. He was a great collector of bronzes and paintings, and undertook this work in an attempt to provide an iconography of Hindu art. It comprises descriptions of nearly 2,000 mythological figures including the Hindu gods. His illustrations were engraved by the artist Houghton, based on objects in his own collection and those of Lord Valentia, Colonel Mackenzie, Lord Arthur Wellesley, "Hindoo" Stuart, and the Museum of the East India Company. Moor's art collection is now in the British Museum, providing a corpus of bronzes known to have been collected before 1800. Sir Montague Cholmeley was High Sheriff of Lincolnshire, and Member of Parliament.