PRELIMINARY NOTICE.

The main portion of this work was approaching completion when death carriedoff the owner of the collection which it describes. It will be well, therefore,to prefix a short account of the distinguished connoisseur, by whose liberalitythe valuable collections illustrated by this work have now become the property ofthe nation.

Felix Slade was born at Lambeth, in August, 1790. He was the secondson of Robert Slade, who was well known among politicians of the Liberalschool, and who for many years was Secretary of the Irish Society. His motherwas Eliza, daughter of Edward Foxcroft, of Halsteads in Thornton in Lonsdale,Yorkshire; and in consequence of the failure of male issue in the Foxcroftfamily, her eldest son, William, and, on his death, Felix, successively inherited theestate of Halsteads. The two brothers were educated to the study of the law, andsucceeded their father as proctors in Doctors Commons.

Mr. Slade had at an early period in life shown considerable taste forartistic pursuits, to which a voyage through Italy in 1817 gave a strongerimpulse. His interest was, in the first instance, directed to engravings and booksrelating to the Fine Arts, and he made a valuable series of illustrations for theworks of Shakespeare, Byron, and Dibdin. More recently he turned his attentionto choice editions of books and ancient book bindings, as well as to VenetianGlass. In the latter branch he formed a collection, probably unrivalled, asmay be seen in turning over the pages of this work. Of engravings andetchings he brought together a magnificent series, remarkable not so much formere rarity as for the fine condition of the individual specimens, and the satis-factory illustration that they furnish of each master and school.

Mr. Slade was at all times very liberal in showing his collection to thoseinterested in similar pursuits, as well as in lending them to various bodies forexhibition. For instance, in the Mediaeval Exhibition, 1850, the ManchesterExhibition, 1857, the Exhibition in Ironmongers Hall, 1861, the Loan Exhibi-tion at South Kensington, 1862, and the Leeds Exhibition, 1868, many finespecimens from Mr. Slade’s collection were to be noticed.

Mr. Slade died on the 29th March, 1868, and by his Will he bequeathed tothe British Museum his collections of glass and engravings, some Japanesecarvings in ivory, and such of his other works of art, ancient bindings andmanuscripts, as certain of his executors should select.

It has been estimated that the cost of the collections thus bequeathed to the