- 100
[Mirabilia Romae]
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- In isto opusculo dicitur quomodo Romulus et Remus nati sunt et educati... (Rome: Johann Besicken, 15 October 1504)
- Paper
8vo (152 x 105mm.), full-page woodcut illustrations, nineteenth-century boards, spine covering torn
Provenance
Law Society, armorial bookplate
Literature
Censimento 16 CNCE 33253 (listing 3 copies); Miedema l 99; Rossetti G-160; Sander 4597
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
A complete copy of this popular pilgrim's guide to Rome, printed in numerous editions from 1489 onwards, each of which survives in a few copies, often incomplete. Of the three versions of text recorded under the heading Mirabilia Romae, the first contains a short text starting "Murus civitatis habet 361 turres" (see lot 99, dated c.1485 and lot 101, dated 1518), the second has a list of relics and indulgences for the seven major churches of Rome (see lot 97, indulgentiae of 1471-1474), and this third version, containing the most substantial text, includes the indulgences and a brief history of Imperial Rome together with a list of seasonal Stations of Rome (an Italian version of this section is also found in lot 101, dated 1518) and further relics in other Roman churches.
The woodcuts are first recorded in an edition of 1494, printed by Besicken and Sigismund Mayer in 1494 (IGI 6452). The cuts in this copy are close (but slightly less sophisticated) copies of those that appear in Besicken's 1494 edition, indeed two of the cuts have been carved back-to-front, and the cut with the papal arms has been updated to the Della Rovere arms of the newly-elected Julius II instead of the Borgia bull. The original artist put his initials in the decorative borders, "IHIS", though his identity has not been discovered. Another woodcut is signed by Martinus de Amsterdam, with whom Besicken printed several works in 1500.
The woodcuts are first recorded in an edition of 1494, printed by Besicken and Sigismund Mayer in 1494 (IGI 6452). The cuts in this copy are close (but slightly less sophisticated) copies of those that appear in Besicken's 1494 edition, indeed two of the cuts have been carved back-to-front, and the cut with the papal arms has been updated to the Della Rovere arms of the newly-elected Julius II instead of the Borgia bull. The original artist put his initials in the decorative borders, "IHIS", though his identity has not been discovered. Another woodcut is signed by Martinus de Amsterdam, with whom Besicken printed several works in 1500.