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664 - Decorative Arts – Glyptics
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Estimate €500 - €750
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Description
Decorative Arts – Glyptics Falletti, Tommaso Vincenzo Introduction to the Study of Precious Museums, Divided into Four Dissertations. With an engraved title vignette (woodcut) and three woodcut end vignettes. Rome, at the Pagliarini Printing House, 1783. XVI, 137, (3) pp. 8vo. Contemporary half leather, spine richly gilt, gilt-embossed spine label, marbled endpapers in a shell pattern (“shell marbled”). (Covers partly stained, top of spine slightly damaged.) From the library of Frederick Augustus II, King of Saxony (1797–1854), as indicated by the stamped monogram of a crowned ‘A’ on the title page. Friedrich August II was a prominent collector of books and art of his time, whose library holdings and collecting interests – including natural history specimens, art and antiquities – are well documented. - Not listed in Sinkankas. Borroni 12152. Cicognara 2835. Sole copy. This rare first and only edition represents one of the early systematic introductions to the collecting of ancient gems, medals and other museum objects in the 18th century. The work is explicitly cited in art-historical research as one of the early references for the emerging world of collecting and museology of the period – it is listed, for example, alongside Luigi Lanzi’s *Storia pittorica* and the *Saggio di lingua etrusca* as one of the works that contributed to the development of a methodical art-historical discourse towards the end of the Settecento. The ‘Introduzione’ is divided into four treatises dealing with different aspects of antiquarian collecting: On precious stones and figuratively cut gems (‘delle pietre fine, ovvero gemme figurate’) On the relics attributable to the idolatry of antiquity (“intorno agli avanzi spettanti all’idolatria degli antichi”) On the use and classification of medals (“sopra l’uso, e la distinzione delle medaglie”) On various kinds of objects that are usually collected to form part of a ‘preziosi musei’ (‘sopra le cose di vario genere...’) The work contains a printed dedication to Maria Girolama Santacroce Conti, Duchess of Poli, a member of the Roman high nobility from the family associated with the Santacroce and Conti families. With an engraved title vignette (woodcut) and three woodcut tailpieces. Contemporary half-calf binding, spine richly gilt, gilt-lettered spine label, marbled endpapers in a shell pattern (“shell marbled”). Covers partly spotted, top of spine somewhat damaged. Provenance from the library of Friedrich August II, King of Saxony (1797–1854), identifiable by his stamped monogram of a crowned ‘A’ on the title page. Friedrich August II was a significant collector of books and art in his day, whose library holdings and collecting interests – including natural history specimens, art and antiquities – are well documented. This rare first and only edition represents one of the early systematic introductions to the collecting of antique gems, medals and other museum objects of the 18th century. In art-historical scholarship, the work is explicitly cited as one of the early references for the emerging culture of collecting and museology of the period. It appears, for instance, alongside Luigi Lanzi’s *Storia pittorica* and the *Saggio di lingua etrusca* as one of the works that contributed to the formation of a methodical art-historical discourse at the close of the *Settecento*. The *Introduzione* is divided into four treatises addressing various aspects of antiquarian collecting, namely on precious stones, or figuratively engraved gems (“*delle pietre fine, ovvero gemme figurate*”), on the remains attributable to the idolatry of the ancients (“intorno agli avanzi spettanti all’idolatria degli antichi”), on the use and distinction of medals (“sopra l’uso, e la distinzione delle medaglie”), and on various kinds of objects customarily collected to form part of a “preziosi musei” ("sopra le cose di vario genere …"). The work contains a printed dedication to Maria Girolama Santacroce Conti, Duchess of Poli, a member of the Roman high nobility from the family connected to the Santacroce and Conti houses. 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.
See original version (German)
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About the sale Valuable books, prints, historical photographs
Auction location
Auction time 10/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
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