Catesby Magnolia I
by Mark Catesby
The Curious Mister Catesby
Carolina Antique Maps & Prints, LLC. in co-operation with The Catesby Commemorative Trust Inc. & Alecro Historical Editions in the United Kingdom and the Avian Conservation Center
PRESENTS A TRULY RARE OPPORTUNITY
A syndication offered by Carolina Antique Maps & Prints, LLC of the Alecto Historical Editions facsimile edition of the original and unpublished watercolor drawings from The Natural History of Carolina, Florida & the Bahama Islands by Mark Catesby FRS (1682-1749) containing the figures of birds, beasts, fishes, serpents, insects and plants.
Terms of Syndication
Twenty-six shares will be offered at $5,500 per share plus sales tax, which
entitles the holder to ten (10) prints. ($550 per print) to be selected in
sequence with other share holders. Presently, plates are retailing for $650 to
$1,800. The print of the Magnolia will count as two plates. A timely deposit of
50% (by check only) is necessary to reserve a share. The balance will be due on
August 31, 2004.
No Refunds after September 1, 2004. A waiting list will be maintained if all the shares are sold and full payment is not received by the due date.
The share party will be held in late September or early October. Please don't
hesitate to call or email if you have any questions.
(843) 722-4773 or LVARDELL@earthlink.net.
The prints may be previewed between May 26 and June 15 in the Church Street Gallery.
The collection consists of 263 hand-printed, each print was individually printed by a master printer and approved by the curator and librarian of the print room at Windsor Castle. The plates in the Alecto edition are printed by stochastic lithography, which represents a completely new advance in printing technology. Unlike conventional lithography which uses mechanical cross-line screens and halftone dots, computer-controlled stochastic lithography, delivers a random effect from microdots whose distribution varies according to tonal value. Alecto's master printers produce the images on a proofing press to allow the hand-printing of each impression, one color at a time. This way they build up a richness not possible on commercial multi-unit presses. The originals are matched with extraordinary accuracy. When the print run for each image was completed, the plates were destroyed.
The printing of Catesby's watercolors was limited to 50 sets and 40 of the sets were to be sold only as complete sets. All of these sets have now been sold and are in the collection of numerous museums, university libraries, and the Library of Congress. The Royal Library has undertaken to not allow the publication of a subsequent facsimile of the watercolors until at least fifty years have passed from the completion of the first edition.
A percentage of the proceeds to be donated to the
Catesby Commemorative Trust, Inc.
91 Church Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29401.
843.722.4773 LVARDELL@earthlink.net
The Catesby Commemorative Trust is an IRS-approvied
non-profit organization that is producing a television documentary film on the
life and works of Mark Catesby, together with companion education products for
schools and universities, with a working title of The Curious Mister Catesby".