FR EN
drawing of a drawing of various tools and equipment on a white background
Jeschke Jádi Auctions Berlin

Estimate €400 - €600
Sale commission
Description
Tools Altmütter, Georg A description of the tool collection of the Imperial and Royal Polytechnic Institute, together with a complete catalogue of the items it contains. For tradespeople and enthusiasts of the mechanical arts. With 8 large folded copperplate engravings. Vienna, Wallishauser 1825. (4), 326 pp. Contemporary cardboard binding with marbled cover paper, gold-stamped spine label. (Corners bumped, covers slightly rubbed) First edition. - Poggendorff I, 35. - Roller-Goedeke I, 31. - Georg Altmütter, who served as curator of the technological collection at the Imperial and Royal Polytechnic Institute in Vienna, presents in this work the first systematic description of the tool collection assembled there. The collection itself did not serve museum purposes in the strict sense, but was explicitly designed as illustrative and exemplary material for tradespeople, craftsmen and technicians – a practical tool for disseminating improved manufacturing methods throughout the Austrian Empire at the beginning of the 19th century. The detailed catalogue section lists all the items in the collection and classifies them by trade, thereby documenting the state of craft and early industrial tool technology in the Habsburg Monarchy shortly before the onset of industrialisation. The eight large-format, folded copperplate illustrations depict a wide variety of different tools in great detail – ranging from simple hand tools to more complex mechanical devices – and make the volume a valuable visual source for the history of technology. The work is one of the early and rare examples of Austrian technological and trade literature from the Vormärz period. It documents how state institutions such as the Vienna Polytechnic – founded in 1815 – deliberately used collections as tools for technical education and the promotion of innovation by providing craftsmen with concrete, tangible models for improvements. Its inclusion in Poggendorff’s Biographical and Literary Dictionary as well as in Roller-Goedeke confirms the bibliographical significance and rarity of the first edition. With 8 large folding engraved plates. Contemporary marbled paper-covered boards, gilt-lettered spine label. (Corners bumped, boards lightly rubbed.) First edition. Georg Altmütter, who served as curator of the technological collection at the Imperial-Royal Polytechnic Institute in Vienna, presents in this work the first systematic description of the tool collection assembled there. The collection itself was not intended for museum purposes in the strict sense, but was explicitly conceived as a resource of exemplary models for tradespeople, craftsmen and technicians – a practical tool for disseminating improved manufacturing methods in the Austrian Empire at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The extensive catalogue section lists all the items in the collection and organises them by trade, thereby documenting the state of craft and early industrial tool technology in the Habsburg Monarchy shortly before the onset of industrialisation. The eight large folding copperplate engravings depict a wide variety of tools in fine detail – from simple hand tools to more complex mechanical devices – making the volume valuable also as a pictorial source for the history of technology. The work ranks amongst the early and rare examples of Austrian technological and trade literature from the pre-1848 period (Vormärz). It documents how state institutions such as the Vienna Polytechnic Institute – founded in 1815 – deliberately used collections as instruments of technical education and innovation, providing craftsmen with concrete, tangible models for improvement. Its inclusion in Poggendorff’s biographical-literary dictionary as well as in Roller-Goedeke confirms the bibliographical significance and rarity of this first edition. 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 standard taxation. 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)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
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
You may also like