N08811

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Lot 2
  • 2

Alciatus, Andreas

Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • paper
Emblematum libellus. Paris: officina Christian Wechel, 1536



8vo (6 3/8 x 3 3/4 in.; 162 x 95 mm). Woodcut device of Pegasus, a cornucopia, and Mercury's wand on title repeated on last page, pages numbered, 113 woodcuts (the emblem on page 97 printed sideways) printed chiefly one to a page with short captions and with Alciati's Latin verse text below; title possibly washed with some attendant darkening and slightly short at fore-edge, text lightly browned. Early 20th-century calf, double-fillet border, spine richly gilt, dentelles, edges gilt, multi-color silk placeholder.

Literature

Landwehr, Romanic 15; Mortimer, French 13 note refers to a 1536 Latin edition in the Hofer Collection with page numbers not noted by Green;  not in Adams

Condition

title possibly washed with some attendant darkening and slightly short at fore-edge, text lightly browned.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Third edition of Alciatus in France "with new woodcuts superior to those of the Augsburg editions" (Landwehr). The emblems are attributed to Mercure Jollat. "It is the Paris edition which set the standard for the popular field of emblem literature" (Mortimer, French, no. 13, page 13). Wechel  published the first edition in France just two years before, but the work was so popular that an edition  appeared in 1535 and two Latin-French editions in 1536 (apart from the present all Latin edition of that year).