The role of the Books and Manuscripts department became increasingly authoritative at a national level, with an impressive € 650,000 turnover at this fall event,
reaching 162% of base price appreciation and 92% of lots sold in the 20 September auction alone. Attracting an audience of collectors from all latitudes is the transversal approach of the genres in the catalogue, which allows one to delve into the history of publishing from the Renaissance to the late 20th century.
In fact, the review of the best adjudications starts with the excellent results obtained by Aldo Manuzio's editions of Aristophanes' Comoediae Novem of 1498 (lot 502, sold € 27,500) and Dante's Terze rime of 1502 (lot 525, sold € 7,500). There followed an interest in 16th century illuminated art with the rare Book of Hours printed by Germano Hardouyn (lot 568, sold € 6,250) and in precious later bindings such as the one by Bodoni dedicated to the Villa Reale in Milan (lot 583, sold € 10,000), which started a busy session of biddings for the whole section dedicated to Milan.
Lot 502 ARISTOFANE (a.C. 450 - ca. 385 a.C.) - Marco MUSURO (c. 1470-1517; curatore)
Comoediae Novem (testo in greco). Venice: Aldo Manuzio, 15 July 1498.
Sold € 27,500
Lot 525 DANTE ALIGHIERI (1265-1321)
Le terze rime di Dante. Lo'nferno e'l purgatorio e'l paradiso di Dante Alaghieri.
Venice: Aldo Manuzio, 1502.
Sold € 7,500
The first real highlights came from the afternoon session and in particular with cartography: the enchanting Voyage pittoresque ou Description des Royaumes de Naples et de Sicile by Jean Claude Richard De Saint-Non (lot 673, sold € 23,750) and the "Encyclopédie" by Diderot and d'Alembert (lot 690, sold € 13.750), which served as an excellent prelude to the great success then obtained by the artist's books section where the top lot of the auction emerged, Salvador Dali's Bible (lot 776, sold € 68,750), together with 26 woodcuts by Frantisek Kupka (lot 792, sold € 18,750).
Lot 673 JEAN CLAUDE RICHARD DE SAINT-NON (1727-1791)
Voyage pittoresque ou description des royaumes de Naples et de Sicile.
Paris: Clousier, 1781-86.
Sold € 23.750
Lot 776 SALVADOR DALÌ (1904-1989)
Biblia Sacra vulgatae editionis. Milan: Rizzoli, 1967-1969.
Sold € 68,750
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Lot 792 FRANTISEK KUPKA (1871-1957)
Quatre histoires de blanc et noir. Paris: Marcel Baque, 1926.
Sold € 18,750
What makes this dense excursus in the history of literature even more special is the success obtained by the first Italian auction dedicated to the art of anastatic with a collection whose prestigious reproductions of ancient medieval and Renaissance volumes won over a large public of private individuals and institutions, leading the session to close with 85% of lots sold. Thus, a new collecting trend emerged: the fascination of meticulous copies of great masterpieces held in the world's major libraries and private collections, offered in the catalogue in elegant and sumptuous bindings, as evident from the collection's top lot, Federico da Montefeltro's Bible (lot 1037, sold € 3,750).
Lot 1037 La Bibbia di Federico da Montefeltro.
Mss. Urb. Lat. 1 e Urb. Lat. 2. Modena: Panini, 2003.
Sold € 3,750
The best adjudications include the luxurious Bible by Borso d'Este (lot 1029, sold € 3.500), the Book of Hours made between 1503 and 1508 by Jean Bourdichon for Queen Anne of Brittany (lot 1050, sold € 3. 500), the Breviario de Isabel la Católica by the most skilled Flemish illuminators of the late 15th century (lot 1039, sold € 2,125) and the Book of Hours by Bonaparte Ghislieri (lot 1049, sold € 3,000). Among the great protagonists of the collection, we could not miss two sections dedicated respectively to Dante Alighieri, with the sale of the Divine Comedy by Federico da Montefeltro (lot 1097, sold € 3,500) and to Leonardo da Vinci with the famous Atlantic Codex (lot 1079, sold € 2,750).
Lot 1048 La Bibbia di Borso d'Este. Mss. Lat. 422 e Lat.423 (2 voll).
Panini, 1996 copia n 574. Modena: Panini, 1996.
Sold € 3,500
Lot 1097 DANTE - La Divina Commedia di Federico da Montefeltro Ms. urb lat. 365.
Modena; Roma: Panini; Treccani, 2020
Sold € 3,500