Constable (John) Various Subjects of Landscape, Characteristic of English Scenery, principally intended to display the phenomena of the Chiar'oscuro of Nature, signed presentation inscription from Constable to Edward Davies dated April 1836 to upper cover, 22 fine plates by David Lucas after paintings by Constable, including the frontispiece and vignette, text comprising title, list of engravings, half-title with verses, introduction and 1p. descriptive text for East Bergholt, Suffolk (frontispiece), mezzotints with etching and drypoint, excellent well inked impressions on cream laid paper, some sheets with partial watermarks of the letters 'F . D', each leaf approx. 295 x 425 mm. (11 1/2 x 16 3/4 in), the frontispiece and 'Noon' with small repairs to upper right corners, and 'A Seabeach' with lower right corner margin repaired, occasional very light finger-soiling to margins, but a remarkably clean and fresh example overall, later cloth-backed wrappers with original printed upper cover laid down, initialled 'J.C.' to lower corner, partial ring mark visible, preserved in chemise and broken slip-case, oblong folio, 1833.

⁂ Presentation copy of Constable's superb set of mezzotints.

Edward Davies is probably Edward Davis (1813-1878), Welsh portrait sculptor. He would have been 23 at the time of this inscription and would go on to exhibit nearly 100 works of sculpture at the Royal Academy including a bust of Constable in 1875.