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Auction: 21066 - Historical Documents, Postal History and Autographs
Lot: 25

(x) The Major David Underwood Collection of collection of Royal Visits and Tours to India, 1876-1912
The Royal visit to India 1905-06
Publications and Bound Items
"Gwalior 1905" by J.W.D. Johnstone, printed by John and Edward Bumps Ltd., London [1906] 1st edition, No. 9 of 12 copies (22.5x28cm), 138 pages within opulent green morocco binding, elaborately gilt with the Prince of Wales' crest repeated and the Maharaja Scindia's snake device in the four corners across both front and back boards; the front board features a bevelled oval inset with an elegant, hand painted miniature portrait of the Maharaja on ivory, glazed within a plain gilt metal frame; the spine with raised bands separating six panels featuring alternating crests, the title and author. The reverse of the front board is inscribed in pen "With kindest regards from M. Scindia, Gwalior 1908".
Contents include "Gwalior and Its Rulers", "The Eve of the Royal Visit", "The Royal Entry", "A Day of Ceremonies", "A Day with Scinia's Army", "A State Banquet", "A Tiger Hunt", "The Fortress", "Christmas Day and Farewell". Many illustrations throughout, each with their tissue guards though several with some foxing. Binding has some very light cracking between spine and boards and a very small, isolated area of colour loss at the rear.
An exceptionally rare and extraordinarily beautiful object.

Provenance: There is little known of the provenance though this edition was acquired from a source that identified it as having been given to Lord Kitchener, Commander in Chief India at the time

Notes: Only one other example, edition number six has been sold in recent history by Christie's in 1999. There can be very few likely to come to the market given its very limited print run.

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Sold for
£2,800

Starting price
£2000