The Macklin Bible, volumes 1–6
The Macklin Bible, volumes 1–6
BIB.003607.1-.6
Bible - Printed Book
1800
London, (England)
English
Printed on Paper
18.9 × 15.6 × 2.3 in. (48 × 39.5 × 5.5 cm)
Not on View
The Macklin Bible is one of the largest and most beautifully illustrated English-language Bibles ever printed. Thomas Macklin was an English publisher who gained notoriety in 1788 when he opened his “Poet’s Gallery” to exhibit and reproduce work from prominent English artists. He soon began including biblical art and announced plans to create an illustrated Bible. He completed the seven-volume Bible in 1800, with the financial support of hundreds of subscribers, including King George III. Over a dozen artists contributed work for the Bible, including Henry Fuseli and Angelica Kauffman. Volumes one through six contain the Old Testament and New Testament. Volume seven, containing the Apocrypha, was published separately. The images in this copy have been colored, likely by one of the early owners.
Printed in 1800 by Thomas Bensley, London, England. Acquired by 1813 by Lawrence Palk, 2nd Baron Haldon, England.[1] Acquired by 2011 by David C. Lachman, private collector and bookdealer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Purchased in 2011 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.[2]
Notes: [1] Sir Lawrence Palk’s bookplate is located on the front pastedown. The bookplate does not contain Palk’s name, but does include the motto, “DEO DUCENTE” (God is my guide). Further research identified the bookplate with the Palk family and their estate, Haldon House, in Devon. It was designed by Ezekiel Abraham Ezekiel, a prominent Jewish engraver from nearby Exeter. The family sold Haldon House, along with artwork and other valuables, in 1891. It is possible this copy of the Macklin Bible was sold at this time. (See Dennis E. Rhodes, “Some Italian Eighteenth-Century Books Acquired by British Travellers in Italy,” The Electronic British Library Journal (2015) and Brian North Lee, “The Bookplates of Ezekiel Abraham Ezekiel of Exeter,” The Bookplate Journal 9 (March 1991): 16–36.) [2] One volume of this set was donated in 2017 to National Christian Foundation (later The Signatry); the other three remain in Green Collection.
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