Antiquarian Book Fairs Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg 2021

A chronological selection
35th Ludwigsburg Antiquaria - virtual event
28 January 2021
Stuttgart Antiquarian Book Fair - virtual event
29 January 2021 - 1 February 2021
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1From the age before Abraham: including the original statement of provenance
Sumerian cuneiform clay tablet listing temple revenues.Girsu, ca. 2300 BC.
InquireThe tablet has been certified and dated by the oriental scholar and Keeper of the Oriental Department at the British Museum, Sir Ernest Wallis Budge (1857-1934) in 1900. At the time, the archaeological site of Girsu near modern Tell Telloh was wrongly identified with Lagash, the longtime capital of the eponymous Sumerian kingdom. During the reign …
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2Formula for entering the tribunal of Osiris
Fragment of a "Book of the Dead".N. p., first half of the XVIIIth dynasty ca. 1540-1350 BCE.
€ 48,000.00This early illustrated fragment written in cursive hieroglyphs contains the end of the 124th chapter of the "Book of the Dead" ("Formula for entering the tribunal of Osiris") and a depiction of a procession of three male gods (one fragmented) equipped with ankhs and was-sceptres. The gods, drawn in red and black ink, wear striped tunics, the Egyptian …
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3Never seen in the trade: sealed document by Wolfger von Erla, patron of Walther von der Vogelweide
Document.Antro near Cividale del Friuli, 25 Apr 1206.
€ 50,000.00The only document by Wolfger von Erla ever seen in the trade, in excellent state of preservation. At the request of abbot Ulrich, Wolfger, writing as patriarch of Aquileia, confirms to St Paul's Abbey, Lavanttal, privileges of toll exemption granted by his predecessors Ulrich II and Gottfried to the abbot Pelegrine and his monks.
The research …
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4The finest Staufian document ever seen in the trade: the last Staufian emperor confirms a document by his grandfather Frederick I Barbarossa
Document.Ravenna, April 1226.
InquireExtremely rare, exceptionally well preserved ceremonial document, lost since 1782. At the request of abbot Conrad, Emperor Frederick II confirms the privilege granted to St Paul's Abbey, Lavanttal, by his grandfather Frederick Barbarossa on 19 March 1170, in which the latter bestowed his protection on the monastery, awarding it sole tenure of Völkermarkt, …
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5English Bible Manuscript
Latin manuscript on vellum.Northern France or England?, ca 1300.
€ 175,000.00A beautiful, complete mediaeval Bible written in a miniscule bookhand on extremely delicate vellum, probably copied in England or commissioned from there. As is common, the Bible is prefaced with the epistle of St Jerome to Paulinus (53: "Frater Ambrosius [...] moriturum", fols. 1r-3r), followed by Jerome's prologue to the Pentateuch ("Desiderii …
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6"An astronomy fit for an emperor" (Owen Gingerich)
Astronomicum Caesareum.Ingolstadt, May 1540.
InquireFirst edition of the "most spectacular contribution of the book-maker's art to 16th century science" (Gingerich). Copies in contemporary bindings are of the utmost rarity in the trade. Dedicated to Emperor Charles V and King Ferdinand, the book has been described as "a miracle of printing in folio format: most of the astronomical schemes and instruments …
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7The birth of modern anatomy: a coloured copy of the first edition, used by the surgeon of the Duke of Saxony
De humani corporis fabrica libri septem.Basel, June 1543.
€ 950,000.00A truly outstanding copy of one of the greatest and most appealing books in the history of science. Preserved in its original binding with the blindstamped initials of its first owner, the German physician Caspar Neefe (1514-79), and with his handwritten annotations throughout, the present copy is partly coloured by a contemporary artist (including …
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8Unique: deluxe copy from the collection of the wealthiest man in the Habsburg monarchy
Beytrag zur Naturgeschichte der Vögel. Vols. 1, 4, 5, and 6 (of 6).Vienna, 1790-1795.
€ 250,000.00Unique copy of one of the rarest works of zoological book illustration, from the library of the banker, art collector, and patron Moritz von Fries (1777-1826), for whom the set was in all likelihood specially produced. Around 1800, Fries was considered without doubt the richest man in the Habsburg monarchy. The splendid engraved plates were elaborately …