Offered here is a VERY RARE 18th century lithographed music sheet; The Diffident Lover, George Bickham, Jr., #66 from his work, The Musical Entertainer, published in London between 1736 and 1739, Hand Colored Lithography. It is just under 9' X 14" in size. These were issued every two weeks and then in 1737 the first 100 song plates were collected and bound into a volume. The second hundred were bound in 1739. What a GREAT piece of music, with the flute part typically added at the bottom; removed from the volume. This sheet was matted and placed behind the wrong type of cardboard and glass - thus heavily oxidized and with a piece of old rice paper tape at the top edge on the back. I have lightened the sheet for better viewing. It is possible to have this oxidation removed/reversed. The Bickham music and volume were universally considered to be the BEST of the time and are always very rare and always desirable. Any white lines from the edges are reflections on the plastic sleeve the sheet is in.
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