The bibliophile market writes a new and important chapter with the auction of Antique Books and Livres d’Artistes on 25 and 26 February 2025.
€850,000 in sales, 96% sell-through rate, and a 224% increase on starting prices: extraordinary results for the “intellectual” sector of collecting, once considered niche, but today in constant growth and expansion.
The broad international participation confirmed the enthusiasm and strong interest in a catalogue rich in rarities. Three intense sessions, characterised by significant awards, including the first edition of Jean de La Fontaine's “Fables Choisies” (€ 47,880) and the monumental work “Historia naturalis” by Ulisse Aldrovandi (€ 47,880).
Lot 100
LA FONTAINE, Jean de (1621-1695) - Fables Choisies. Paris: Claude Barbin, 1668.
Sold € 47,880
Lot 93
ALDROVANDI, Ulisse (1522-1605) - [Opera omnia].
Bologna: Bellagamba, Benacci, Bonomi, Tebaldini, Ferroni, 1599-1668.
Sold € 47,880
The section dedicated to artist’s books, increasingly appreciated and on the rise, saw a standout result (€ 32,760) for the famous “LITO-LATTA” by Tullio d'Albisola, a tribute to industrial futurism, enriched by the bold illustrations of Bruno Munari. This was followed by an excellent result (€ 11,340) for “Apocalissi e sedici traduzioni” by Lucio Fontana and Giuseppe Ungaretti.
Lot 63
TULLIO D'ALBISOLA (1899-1971) - Bruno MUNARI (1907-1998)
L'Anguria lirica (lungo poema passionale). Presentazione di Marinetti (dell'Academia d'Italia). Chiarimento di V. Orazi. Illustrazioni di Bruno Munari.
Rome and Savona: Edizioni Futuriste di Poesia, senza data [circa 1933].
Sold € 32,760
Lot 48
FONTANA, Lucio (1899-1968) - Giuseppe UNGARETTI (1888-1970) Apocalissi e sedici traduzioni. Ancona: Bucciarelli, 1965.
Sold € 11,340
Other famous names sparked the public's interest, including exceptional 16th-century editions, such as the one dedicated to the works of Francesco Petrarca (€ 25,200), the influential novella collection by Matteo Bandello (€ 23,940), the work on the life and deeds of Pope Gregory XIII by Principio Fabrizi (€ 20,160), and a true bestseller of antiquity, “The Art of War” by Niccolò Machiavelli (€ 12,600).
Lot 31
PETRARCA, Francesco
Il Petrarca con l'espositione d'Alessandro Vellutello e con piu utili cose in diversi luoghi di quella novissimamente da lui aggiunte et ristampate.
Venice: Giovanni Antonio di Nicolini da Sabio, 1541.
Sold € 25,200
Lot 23
BANDELLO, Matteo
La prima [-terza] parte de le novelle. Lucca: Vincenzo Busdraghi, 1554.
[INSIEME A, dello stesso autore:] - La quarta parte de le novelle. Lione: Alessandro Marsili, 1573.
Sold € 23,940
The section dedicated to 18th-century illustrated volumes concluded in grand style, with works of undeniable value and charm, such as the enchanting views of the Serenissima by Luca Carlevariis (€ 15,120) and the refined tribute to fruit trees by Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau (€ 13,860).
Lot 19
CARLEVARIIS, Luca (1663-1730) Le fabriche e vedute di Venezia.
[Venice: Giovan Battista Finazzi a San Giovanni Crisostomo, ca. 1703].
Sold € 15,120
Lot 35
DUHAMEL du MONCEAU, Henri-Louis
Traité des arbres fruitiers. Paris: Saillant, Desaint, 1768.
Sold € 13,860