Americana Exchange

Auction Details

Auction House Sothebys
Website www.sothebys.com/
Auction Name Music and Continental Books and Manuscripts
Sale Number L11402
Auction Date Jun 08, 2011 - Jun 08, 2011

Lot Details : Sothebys

Lot Number 15     
Author EUSTATHIUS, ARCHBISHOP OF THESSALONICA .
Title PAREKBOLAI EIZ THN OMNROU ILIADA[GREEK] [COMMENTARII IN HOMERI ILIADEM].
Year Published 1542
Place Printed ROME ANTONIO LADO
Description EUSTATHIUS, ARCHBISHOP OF THESSALONICA . PAREKBOLAI EIZ THN OMNROU ILIADA[GREEK] [COMMENTARII IN HOMERI ILIADEM]. ROME: ANTONIO BLADO, 1542 First edition, volume 1 only (of 4), folio (327 x 223mm.), woodcut device on title-page, a few woodcut diagrams, with 2 blank leaves [pp.506-509], contemporary alla greca binding, morocco gilt over wooden boards, outer frame of covers gilt with azured tools, enclosing an inset border of blue silk overlaid with gilt leather arabesque filigree, central morocco panel tooled in blind with interlacing strapwork and dotted grounds within a wooden frame, smooth spine richly gilt, grooved board edges, plaited leather clasps, edges gilt and gauffered with pointillé tools, binding worn, sides rubbed and with short tears, spine damaged at head and foot, lacking one plaited-leather clasp
Lot Note P. Needham Twelve Centuries of Bookbindings (1979) nos. 60 and 63; A. R. A. Hobson, Humanists and bookbinders (1989), p.204; M.-P. Laffitte and F. Le Bars, Reliures royales de la Renaissance: la librairie de Fontainebleau, 1544-1570 (1999), no. 73. An important and rare alla greca binding from the library of Marcus Fugger. The dozen or so all greca bindings made in Paris for Fugger in the early to mid 1550s comprise the most luxurious portion of his famous collection. They were probably created in the royal bindery and were clearly modelled on the finest work of that shop for Henri II. This is one of two bindings from the Fugger group whose design incorporates fine leather tracery over silk grounds, again in the manner of bindings made for Henri II.
Provenance Marcus Fugger (1529-1597), signature inside upper cover; Princes von Oettingen-Wallerstein, sold Karl &Faber, Munich (Fugger II), 6 November 1933, lot 239; Constantin Carathéodory (1873-1950), bookplate
Estimated Price GBP 7,000.00 - 10,000.00( USD 10570.00 - USD 15100.00)
Actual Price GBP 61,250.00 ( USD 92487.50)