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an open book with a drawing of a man and a woman in a library
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657 - Decorative Arts
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Estimate €600 - €800
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Description
Decorative Arts Murr, Christoph Gottlieb von An Attempt at a Description of the Imperial and Royal Treasury in Vienna. Nuremberg, Gabriel Nicolaus Raspe, 1771. With an engraved frontispiece (interior view of a hall in the Imperial Treasury) and an engraved allegorical title vignette by J. Toninger after J. S. Vigitill. (8), 102 pp. 8°. Contemporary half-leather binding on five raised bands, gold-stamped spine label of goatskin in the second field, gold-stamped decorative lines, speckled edge. Holzmann-Bohatta VII, 10745. – Czeike V, 66. – ADB XXIII, 76–80. – Murray, Museums, III, 241. - First edition of this guide to the collections of the Imperial Treasury in Vienna. The work describes in detail the contents of the collection, its artistic decoration and the manner in which the objects are displayed in glass cases, on plinths and along the walls of the halls. The text is divided into two chapters, dealing separately with the secular and ecclesiastical sections of the collection – a distinction that remains to this day. The holdings of the Imperial Treasury can be traced back to the collecting activities of the scholar Jacopo Strada, who served as court antiquarian to Emperor Ferdinand I from 1556. In the 18th century, Maria Theresa had the Habsburg treasures moved to their present location – a measure which also served to conceal the extent to which the dynastic fortune had been strained by the costly wars against rival Prussia. The Imperial Regalia themselves were only moved from Nuremberg to Vienna – where they had been kept since 1424 – in the final days of the Holy Roman Empire around 1800, in order to save them from Napoleon’s advancing French troops. - Printed on heavy paper. The upper white margin of the last two leaves has a slight watermark. The foot of the spine is damaged; the front joint has a short tear at the top of the spine. Overall, an attractive copy. - Rare. Arts and crafts. - With an engraved frontispiece (interior view of a room in the Imperial Treasury) and an engraved allegorical title vignette by J. Toninger after J. S. Vigitill. Contemporary half-calf binding with five raised bands, gilt morocco spine label on the second compartment, gilt ruled bands, sprinkled edges. First edition of this guide to the collections of the Imperial Treasury in Vienna. The work describes in great detail the contents of the collection, its elaborate furnishings, and the manner in which the objects are displayed – in glass cases, on pedestals, and along the walls of the rooms. The account is divided into two chapters, dealing separately with the secular and ecclesiastical sections of the collection – a division that remains to this day. The holdings of the Imperial Treasury date back to the collecting activities of the scholar Jacopo Strada, who served as court antiquarian to Emperor Ferdinand I from 1556. In the eighteenth century, Maria Theresa had the Habsburg treasures moved to their present location – a measure that also served to conceal the extent to which the dynasty’s finances had been strained by the costly wars against rival Prussia. The Imperial Regalia themselves only arrived in Vienna from Nuremberg in the final days of the Holy Roman Empire, around 1800, having been kept in Nuremberg since 1424, in order to save them from the advancing French troops under Napoleon. - Printed on thick paper. The upper white margin of the last two leaves has a small watermark. The foot of the spine is damaged; the front hinge has a short crack at the head of the spine. Overall, a pleasing copy. - Rare. This lot is subject to standard tax. A 24.95% buyer’s premium is payable on the hammer price, and 7% (Books and Art) or 19% VAT (Manuscripts, Screenprints, Offset Prints, Photographs) is payable on the final invoice amount within the European Union. This lot is subject to the standard tax regime. A 24.95% buyer’s premium applies to the hammer price, and 7% (books and art) or 19% VAT (manuscripts, screen prints, offset prints and photographs) applies to the final invoice amount within the European Union.
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About the sale Valuable books, prints, historical photographs
Auction location
Auction time 10/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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