A. EINSTEIN. HAND-PRINT OF HIS LEFT HAND, SIGNED AND DATED BY HIM ("A. EINSTEIN 9.IV.30")

c.230 x 175mm., in black ink, an unedited copy, without manuscript alterations

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."

Sotheby's sold both Einstein's hand-prints, left and right, on 5 June 2013, lot 348, from the same collection as this one and done on the same day. The prints were taken by Marianne Raschig. In those prints, each was circumscribed in pencil, whereas these remain in their original state (the right-hand print also bore Raschig's stamp ("M.Raschig's Handarchiv"), [Berlin], 9 April 1930).  This image was taken by the hand-reader Marianne Raschig, one from a large project, for her book Hand und Persönlichkeit. Einführung in das System der Handlehre (Hamburg: Enoch, 1931). Raschig devotes nearly a page to analysing Einstein's particularly strong life- and head-lines ("Durch Klarheit zur Wahrheit!": pp.134-135). That no one else took comparable examples from Einstein is indicated by the fact that Raschig's prints were used for later analyses by Nathaniel Altmann Palmistry: The Universal Guide (2009) p.77; and by the Dutch chirologist Martijn van Mensvoort.