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Obstoiatel’noe Opisanie Torzhestvennykh Poriadkov Blagopoluchago Vshestviia v tsarstvuiushchii grad Moskvu i Sviashchenneishago Koronovaniia Imperatritsy Elizevet Petrovny [Description of the Solemn Order of Entry into the Capital City of Moscow and Solemn Coronation of Empress Elizabeth].

[CORONATION ALBUM]. ELIZAVETA PETROVNA, Empress of Russia. First edition, folio (44.5 x 28.5 cm); mezzotint frontispiece portrait of Elizabeth Petrovna by Johann Stenglin after Louis Caravaque and 49 plates by I. A. Sokolov (no. 5 after Elias Grimmel), G. A. Kachalov and C. A. Wortmann, 16 of which are folding, one (no. 45) a mezzotint of a firework display, 168pp. of text in Russian, some minor staining, repairs to plates; imperial presentation binding, contemporary mottled calf, gilt border on covers, gilt-crowned monogram at the corners, large central gilt cypher of Empress Elizabeth on front cover, back cover with large Russian eagle in gilt at centre, skilfully rebacked, red morocco label, spine in parts with various imperial insignia to parts, later red morocco chemise with gilt title, a very good copy. 'The most sumptuous Russian book of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries' (Fekula) Rare album of the coronation of Elizabeth I, in Russian: one of the most sumptuous books of 18th and 19th century Russia, this copy in an imperial presentation binding of contemporary calf, bearing the cypher of Elizabeth I, complete with the portrait of the empress and the 49 plates. Despite the date on the title, work continued until 1746 when editions in Russian, German, French and Latin were published simultaneously, under the supervision of N. Iu. Trubetskoi. The coronation of the daughter of Peter the Great was a grand affair, celebrated over almost two months between February and April, 1742. The project of a luxurious printed record began at this time, and took fours years to complete, being finished in 1746 in spite of the date on the title page. It was simultaneously published in Russian, German, French and Latin, in a quantity of 650 copies (Svod. Katalog). The best engravers of the time, Russian and foreign (mostly German) based in St. Petersburg, took part in the realisation of this major achievement of Russian printing. Alexis von Rosenberg, Baron de Redé was a prominent French banker and socialite, known for hosting some of the most extravagant balls of the 20th century. The New York Times wrote that his life was dedicated to, 'museum-quality collecting and entertaining on a huge and hugely imaginative scale'. Redé said of his collection, 'all I want is the best of everything' and this coronation album is indeed worthy of such a connoisseur.
  • $102,850
  • $102,850
book (2)

Orme’s Collection of British Field Sports illustrated in twenty beautiful coloured engravings.

HOWITT, Samuel. Landscape folio (45.5 x 55 cm); hand coloured aquatint title, list of plates with aquatint vignette, 20 hand-coloured, deckle-edged aquatint plates principally by W.M. Craig, J. Godby, and H. Merke after Howitt, plate captions in English and French, plates 2 and 9 with the printed overslips correcting the caption, and plate 2 with the letter 'x' added to 'cheveau' in manuscript, neat repairs to marginal tears on plates 10 and 20 and list plates, plates bound out of order, occasional faint spotting mainly confined to versoes of plates; contemporary straight-grained maroon morocco over marbled boards, red gilt label to upper cover, spine gilt ruled, extremities rubbed, a very good copy. 'Very rare. The first and only edition of the finest and most important sporting book of the last two centuries.' (Schwerdt) Tooley calls it 'a magnificent work, the most valuable English colour plate book on sport.' Although there are fox, stag and hare hunting scenes, the majority of plates depict the shooting of different game birds in deeply rural woods and pastureland. The present copy contains the plates in an early state, printed on sheets watermarked 1804, 1805 or 1806 (Abbey records copies dated as late as 1819). The word 'chevau' in plate 2 has an 'x' added in pencil. A handsome copy with plates uncut. Samuel Howitt (1756/7–1822) was an English painter, illustrator and etcher of animals, hunting, horse-racing and landscape scenes. Howitt was closely associated in his art with Thomas Rowlandson, whose sister he married. Howitt's early watercolour style has similarities to Rowlandson's, but Howitt developed a more individual style as his career as a sporting artist progressed. He seems to have had an innate capacity for drawing animals, from commonplace hare and deer to exotic species that he studied in menageries. He was an animated draughtsman, and his drawings of hunts and sporting events have a fluidity and excitement fitting to the subject. (ODNB). Edward Orme (1775–1848) was, after Rudolph Ackermann, the most important publisher of illustrated books during the short golden age of the coloured aquatint. Orme's output totalled some 700 illustrations, but his monument is his British Field Sports. Abbey (Scenery), 14; Mellon/Podeschi 86; Schwerdt II, p. 53; Tooley 273.
  • $27,225
  • $27,225
Collection des costumes Espagnols anciens et modernes.

Collection des costumes Espagnols anciens et modernes.

CRUZ CANO Y OLEMEDILLA, Juan de la. First French edition; folio (38.2 x 26.2 cm); 72 aquatint plates engraved by Devere after Cruz Cano Y Olemedilla and finished in contemporary hand-colour, 8 cm repaired closed tear to title near imprint affecting one letter, the first 2 letters of the imprint missing (probably through a production flaw and consequently repaired), faint tears around the letterpress of 'Paris' due to printing technique, some light scattered variable spotting, more heavily affecting plates 12, 36, and 55, plate 56 mis-bound between plates 60 and 61; 19th-century tan half calf ruled in gilt, over marbled paper boards, top edge gilt, the others red, extremities faintly rubbed, joint splitting at head of spine. First French edition of Cruz Cano Y Olemedilla's popular Spanish work, with 72 hand-coloured plates. The collection of costume plates was intended to record the different outfits worn by the Spanish people, both common and noble, stretching across all the different regions of the country and accounting for all of its colonies. Cruz Cano Y Olemedilla (1734-1790), a Spanish engraver and cartographer, was sent by the state to study architectural engravings in Paris in 1752. During this time he also learnt the art of map engraving under the great French geographer Jean Bapriste Bourguignon d'Anville (1697-1782). His background and training in France can be appreciated in this suite of costume engravings; the topographical and architectural details included in the plates provide further insight into the customs and the geographical features of the various depicted towns and cities. First published in Madrid between 1777-1788, the work was initially issued in 7 parts, each consisting of 12 plates (apart for the final part which, according to the Bibliotheca National in Madrid, was released only with 10 plates). Although the work was never actually completed, the prints proved incredibly popular and were reprinted in both France and Germany. This present French edition was published a year after Olemedilla's death. Bobins IV, 1215; Colas 843; Lipperheide Jc 4.
  • $18,150
  • $18,150
L'estat present de la chine.

L’estat present de la chine.

BOUVET, Joachim; GIFFART, Pierre (engraver). First edition; folio (373 x 240mm) 42 engraved plates (without the two portraits, one each of the Duke and Duchess of Bourgogne - Madame Princesse de Savoye, not engraved by Griffart and often excluded) all with beautiful contemporary hand-colouring and heightened in gold, plate six in early state before lettering (small closed tear in lower margin of plate 'Officier de robe Mandarin du 9 Ordre', blank lower outer corner torn in first Avertissement leaf, restored, some offsetting and minor browning, a few minor marginal damp stains) Contemporary red morocco gilt, sides triple gilt ruled to a panel design, fleur de lys gilt to outer corners, arms of Louis XIV gilt stamped at centres, spine gilt with fleur de lys. Rare first edition of Bouvet's China, finely bound in contemporary morocco with the arms of Louis XIV, the engravings beautifully hand-coloured and heightened in gold. Dedicated to the son of Louis XIV, Louis de France, Duke of Bourgogne at the time of his marriage at Versailles on 7 December 1697. The Jesuit Joachim Bouvet was sent as an envoy to China by Louis XIV in 1687, where he worked at the royal palace and was close to the Emperor Kangxi. On his return In 1697 he brought back a collection of Chinese woodblocks and paintings. The plates were created by Pierre Giffart who produced copies of the original Chinese works. They represent elegant Chinese figures dressed in traditional and ceremonial clothing, with exceptional attention to detail in the portrayal of Chinese costume in a European book; the work was unusual in its attempt to stay as close to the Chinese originals as possible. It is divided in two parts, the first of male figures and the second of female figures, respectively after a dedication to the Duc and Duchesse de Bourgogne. 'C'est une édition superbe, très exacte au point de vue de la reproduction des particularités des costumes et du dessin chinois' (Hélène Belevitch-Stankevitch, Le Goût chinois en France au temps de Louis XIV, Genève, 1970, p. 243). Bobins I, 169; Brunet I, 1189; Colas 417; Vinet 2354; Sommervogel II, col. 55; Cordier III, 1858; Löwendahl (China illustrata nova, Supplement) 1588. Not in Lipperheide or Lust.
  • $45,375
  • $45,375
Splendor Magnificentissimae Urbis Venetiarum Clarissimus; E Figuris elegantissimis

Splendor Magnificentissimae Urbis Venetiarum Clarissimus; E Figuris elegantissimis, and accurata Descriptione emicans; In Duas Partes distributus.

GRAEVIUS, Johann Georg. 2 parts in one vol., folio (45 x 29 cm); half-titles, titles printed in red and black with engraved vignettes, large folding bird's-eye view of Venice and large folding plan (both after Blaeu), a further 115 double-page engraved plates, captioned in Italian, Latin and French, light spotting and toning, predominantly to text leaves, occasionally affecting plate margins (particularly in part II), but generally plates clean and fresh; 1830's half brown morocco over marbled boards, spine with 5 raised bands, gilt-ruled in compartments, gilt lettering to second compartment, some rubbing to boards and extremities, else a very good copy. A rare and lavishly illustrated work devoted entirely to the city of Venice, issued as part of the monumental Thesaurus antiquitatum et historiarum Italiae. The impressive views, including both the magnificent folding panorama and folding plan of the city after Blaeu, reproduce not only the art and architecture of Venice but also the festivities, such as carnival, public boxing, canal regattas, bullfighting, and fireworks. Published by Pieter van der Aa (1659-1733), a famous Dutch publisher of maps and atlases active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The present work contains 115 double-page engravings, some after the most famous artists of the time including Carlevarijs and Canaletto. Graesse VI, 472.
  • $36,300
  • $36,300
Klavikordnaia Skhola

Klavikordnaia Skhola, a, ili kratkoe i osnovatel’noe pokazanie k soglasiiu i melodii. [Clavichord school, or short and thorough instruction on melody and harmony.].

LÖHLEIN, Georg Simon. First edition; 2 parts bound in one vol., oblong 4to (203 × 245 mm), [8], 70; [2], [71]–188pp.; the musical examples in the text printed typographically; old waterstains in places, the paper a little creased, some spotting to upper corner, a little light browning towards the end; contemporary mottled calf, slightly marked, hinges sometime strengthened, short crack to lower joint, but sound, marbled endpapers, spine gilt in compartments, red leather label, a very good copy. The rare first edition in Russian of Löhlein's Clavier-Schule (1765), translated by Fyodor Gablitz, a student at Moscow University, and printed, as the imprint here notes, at the University Press 'at the expense of book custodian Christian Ludvig Wever' (he had run the University bookshop since 1757), Russia's first private music publisher. The book, written to aid those interested in mastering the keyboard, was 'widely imitated' and 'appeared in various new editions for almost a century' (New Grove), but this version—the first Russian adaptation of a Western music book— was its only contemporary translation and is very rare. It was extremely popular and remained the only Russian manual on keyboard playing until the nineteenth century. The Danish-born Christian Ludvig Wever (d.1781), whose charming woodcut device is printed on the title verso of the second part here, was responsible for its introduction, acquiring types from Breitkopf in Leipzig. His first three publications appeared in 1773, all printed at Moscow's University Press. Serge Lifar was a noted bibliophile, acquiring Diaghilev's great book collection (perhaps the largest private collection at the time of Russian books outside Russia) in 1930.
  • $12,100
  • $12,100
Voyage dans la Russie méridionale et la Crimée

Voyage dans la Russie méridionale et la Crimée, par la Hongrie, la Valachie et la Moldavie exécuté en 1837. [with] Voyage pittoresque et archéologique en Russie exécuté en 1839, par le Havre, Hambourg, Lubeck, Saint-Pétersbourg, Moscou, Nijni-Nowgorod, Yaroslaw et Kasan.

DEMIDOFF, M. Anatole de; RAFFET, Auguste, DURAND, André (illustrators). Folio (52.8 x 34.5 c), 2 vols; vol. I (La Russie Meridionale), 100 lithographed plates after Raffet, a few plates with cropped margins; vol. II (Voyage Pittoresque), tinted lithographed title-page and 100 lithographed plates, faint water stain to lower margin; both volumes bound in contemporary half green morocco over marbled boards, spines in parts with gilt tooling, large gilt Rothschild coat of arms on green morocco label in centre of upper boards, some minor repairs and wear, very good examples. A fine set of Demidoff's most sought-after illustrated books bound for Baron James de Rothschild. The rich industrialist Count Anatoliy Nikolaevich Demidov, Prince of San Donato (1813-70) became a famous Russian art collector who assembled at his Villa di San Donato a large collection of Dutch, Flemish and Romantic masterpieces, as well as an impressive library. Before his short and stormy marriage to Princess Mathilde-Létizia Bonaparte, he financed two scientific and artistic expeditions in Russia: the first in 1837-38 in Southern Russia and the second in 1839 in Northern Europe and European Russia. Although the account of the first one is significantly more common, the views published in the present second album are the most famous, since they included beautiful lithographs of the largest Russian towns and their celebrated places, such as the Winter Palace and the Alexandrine column in St. Petersburg, the banks of the Volga in Nizhniy-Novgorod, the Kremlins of Kasan and Moscow. Brunet, II, col. 583-584 ; Carteret, III, p. 197 ; Vicaire, III, col. 167-168.
  • $30,250
  • $30,250
The Meltonian: or

The Meltonian: or, the pleasures of the chase developed. Elucidating a modern system of fox-hunting, as followed up in that Prince of Hunting Establishments.composing the Quorn Hunt. by The Author of ‘The Deccanite, or Hog-Hunter of India &c &c. Dedicated to Sir Edward Joseph Smythe, Baronet and the Shropshire Hunt. MDCCCXXXIII.

[RAWLINS, T.J.]. Folio (44 x 40.5 cm); manuscript on paper, 34 leaves, comprising portrait frontispiece titled the 'Real Meltonian', additional ornamental title with architectural border incorporating scenes of dogs, a fox and a hunt, title-page, dedicatory letter to Sir Edward signed 'Junglicus', and 30 oval watercolours depicting 'lessons' of hunting, each watercolour with title and full explanation below, all the leaves mounted on larger sheets of Whatman paper; 20th-century red morocco gilt, by Morrell, ruled and tooled in gilt with fox and hound cornerpieces, titles to upper cover gilt, gilt inner dentelles fox and horseshoe cornerpieces, all edges gilt, extremities lightly rubbed. The Schwerdt-Gloucester copy of a magnificent and elaborate album of hunting watercolours made for Sir Edward Smythe, and attributed to Rawlins. Although Schwerdt in his catalogue describes this series as unique, another example from the collection of Captain F. Parr was sold at Sothebys on 19 July 1928 for £2,800 to Sawyers. That example, while being slightly grander in its embellishment, had a number of the watercolours signed or initialled by Rawlins. The 30 lessons include How to go to cover. to shew off. to ascend a hill. to clear a ravine. to turn a somerset, each an amusing tale of a hunters progress. Of Rawlins, little is known although the dedication mentions 'though once a foxhunter myself, when no very distant neighbour of yours [Smythe], yet I have since emigrated to the East'. Whether there was any intent to have this work published is uncertain, but we do know that Rawlins is associated with Alken's work on Nimrod's Mytton and contributed 15 plates to Rawstorne's Gamonia. In this work he has proved himself an extremely competent artist. The watercolours were probably assembled and mounted in this album by Schwerdt. Bobins III, 1187; Schwerdt II, pp.344-346.
  • $42,350
  • $42,350
book (2)

An early Qur’an folio, in Hijazi script.

[QUR'AN]. Single leaf, decorated manuscript on parchment, in Arabic, containing the text from Qur'an Juz' VII, sura al-A'raf, parts of vv. 169-194, fragmentary leaf, c. 335 x 230 mm; single column, 22 lines of sepia hijazi script to both sides, verse marked by clusters of 4 or 6 dots, a few words overwritten in a later hand, areas of loss to folio. an important witness to the earliest extant qur'anic manuscripts and a relic of the earliest period in islam, copied only a few decades after the lifetime of the prophet muhammad in the 7th century ad. Early history of the Qur'an and Islam: Muslims believe the Qur'an to be the verbatim revelations received to The Prophet Muhammad from Allah. Before the Qur'an was copied into written form it was memorised by heart from the followers of The Prophet Muhammad during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr (633-34 AD). After the death of The Prophet Muhammad wars were killing Muslims that had memorised the sacred words so to preserve the text Zayn ibn Thabit, a secretary of The Prophet Muhammad, collated the Qur'an onto sheets. Then during the Caliphate of 'Uthman (644-56 AD) the decision was made to produce a definitive codex of the holy text to unify the believers and prevent future disputes among the believers. It is accepted that the definitive and authorised version of the Qur'an was produced around 650 AD and certainly before the death of 'Uthman in 656 AD. The script: The term Hijazi, meaning from Hijaz, refers to the geographical region of the Hijaz in the Arabian Peninsula. This was the area in which The Prophet Muhammad unified the Arabian tribes with Islam in the early 7th century, and includes Mecca and Medina. Hijazi script refers to the earliest examples of Qur'anic script produced in this period which also marks a very important milestone in the evolution of the Arabic language and its development in written form. One of the primary characteristics of the early Hijazi script is the vertical stretching of the letters, and the infrequent use of diacritics or vowels. Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf, who died in 714 AD, created a comprehensive system by which diacritics and vowels could be endorsed in the forms of dots or vertical dashes. Therefore, the absence of these diacritics in the present leaf is a strong indication that it was copied before these developments in the Arabic language and place its production firmly in the 7th century. Furthermore, Abu'l-Aswad al-Du'ali, who died in 688 AD, was responsible for a prior development that included coloured dots as an indication of vowels – there are no such markings in the present example, indicating an even earlier date of production (before 688 AD). The progressive developments in the script, Arabic language and spread of Islam later in the 8th century allowed for aesthetic considerations and formal structures in the copying of the holy text, resulting in the emergence of Kufic script. Thus, Qur'ans produced during the later Abbasid period had a very different aesthetic and visual appearance to those produced only a century prior. The primary focus of the early Islamic scribes in the 7th century was to produce a faithful reproduction of the holy text in the interest of preserving it, resulting in irregularities in the lines per page, folio sizes, column widths, line lengths and other such codicological details. These variations make it difficult to attribute any singular Hijazi fragment to a particular named Qur'an from the 7th century. Hijazi Qur'ans: The majority of surviving Hijazi Qur'an fragments are in the form of single leaves currently housed in a small number of museums, libraries and private collections worldwide. Although many of these fragments have been published, the inconsistencies in orthography and line spacing in these early folios make it difficult to identify precisely how many codices were first copied in those early decades, however it is accepted that there were likely 4 or 5 produced (under the supervision of one of the Prophet's secretaries Zayd ibn Thabit) before distribution to wider areas to spread Islam. The exact list of cities to have received a copy is uncertain, however it is likely that there were at least four or five produced (these likely for Mecca, Damascus, Basra and Kufa, with one probably retained by Medina). To date, four definitively 7th century Hijazi Qur'ans have been identified. These are the Codex Parisino-petropolitanus (Bibliotheque Nationale de France, BnF Arabe 328, which includes 36 folios with other single folios recorded at the Vatican, Khalili Collections and the National Library of Russia), The Birmingham manuscript (2 folios, The Cadbury Research Library, Birmingham University), The Sana'a Manuscript (38 folios in the Dar al-Makhtutat library, Yemen, and other single folios recorded in European and private libraries), and Codex M a VI 165 (77 folios The Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen, Germany). The present example is most comparable to the Sana'a manuscript in its overall aesthetic: there are 22 lines in the present leaf and most of the Sana'a leaves contain 21-23 lines per page and the verses are marked with clusters of 4-6 dots in both instances. However, the Sana'a manuscript is a palimpsest containing an upper and lower text (which is only visible under ultraviolet light), and although there is no evidence to suggest that the present leaf is a palimpsest, there are notable similarities to sections of the lower text of the Sana'a manuscript. The infrequent use of the alif character and the reduced use of dots in the consonants are both features that are in keeping with linguistic characteristics identified in the lower text of the Sana'a manuscript. In their article Sana'a and the History of the Qur'an, Sadeghi and Goudarzi note: "The lower text of San' ' 1 is at present the most important document for the history of the Qur' n. As the only known extant copy from a textual tradition beside the standard 'Uthm nic one, it has the greatest potential of any known
  • $1,028,500
  • $1,028,500