Fine Books from a Distinguished Private Library
![Jean-Baptiste Audebert | Histoire naturelle des singes. Paris, 1797-[1800], in the original parts, fine illustrations of primates](/assets/image/picture_3530743/97533/zll8szmoumzsdx86feof1b4xnhwzoiihymos91lyuesaxchvije5vgcl7ima5r1698925527jpg__fix_374_244.jpeg)
![Jean-Baptiste Audebert | Histoire naturelle des singes. Paris, 1797-[1800], in the original parts, fine illustrations of primates](https://veryimportantlot.com/assets/image/picture_3530743/97533/zll8szmoumzsdx86feof1b4xnhwzoiihymos91lyuesaxchvije5vgcl7ima5r1698925527jpg__fix_374_244.jpeg)
John James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist and painter, renowned for his groundbreaking illustrations of American birds. Born in 1785 in Les Cayes, Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), Audubon is remembered for his keen observation skills and innovative artistic techniques.
Audubon's most famous work, "The Birds of America," transformed the field of ornithology by presenting birds in lifelike poses and detailed backgrounds. Published between 1827 and 1838, it contained 435 hand-colored engravings, showcasing over 489 bird species. His unique approach to illustrating birds in their natural habitats was a departure from traditional methods, which often portrayed birds in rigid poses.
Audubon used a wire armature to position freshly-killed specimens, allowing him to depict birds with a sense of movement and vitality. This innovative technique was truly revolutionary and set him apart from his contemporaries. Additionally, Audubon's artistic skill and attention to detail made his illustrations highly sought after, with surviving copies of "The Birds of America" considered valuable collectibles today.
For art collectors and enthusiasts, Audubon's work continues to be a source of inspiration and admiration. His legacy endures through his contributions to ornithology and the art world, with museums and galleries showcasing his work. If you're interested in learning more about John James Audubon and his famous illustrations, consider subscribing to our newsletter for updates on new product sales and auction events related to his work.
Augustine of Hippo (Latin: Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period.
Augustine is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He is also a preeminent Catholic Doctor of the Church and the patron of the Augustinians.
![Bible, German | [Weimar Elector’s Bible], 1768, finely bound by Johann Georg Dachau](/assets/image/picture_3530780/76ab9/nvwdvs4jdjiwgyrzawmys1hf-bfbodud9bfclkbyoclb1qikahsbn9dr7iivta6o1698927154jpg__fix_374_244.jpeg)
![Bible, German | [Weimar Elector’s Bible], 1768, finely bound by Johann Georg Dachau](https://veryimportantlot.com/assets/image/picture_3530780/76ab9/nvwdvs4jdjiwgyrzawmys1hf-bfbodud9bfclkbyoclb1qikahsbn9dr7iivta6o1698927154jpg__fix_374_244.jpeg)
Jan (Joan) Willemsz. Blaeu was a Dutch cartographer, publisher and judge.
Jan was born into the family of the cartographer and publisher Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638). He studied in Leiden, where he earned a doctorate in law, and in Padua. He then began to assist his father, who was engaged in the manufacture of globes and maps. After his father's death, Jan, together with his brother Cornelius, continued his work, and succeeded him as cartographer for the Dutch East India Company.
In 1651 Blaeu was elected to the Amsterdam city council and later appointed as a judge. At the same time, he was engaged in his publishing business: he continued to publish volumes of Atlas novus, which contained maps of English counties and, for the first time, an atlas of Scotland, as well as one volume of maps of the Far East.
Blaeu did not have time to complete his most ambitious project, but it made him famous as the author of the famous 11-volume Dutch atlas. Based on his previous maps, Blaeu created the Great Atlas (Atlas Maior) - it contained nearly 600 maps and a total of 3,000 pages of Latin text - and was published in 1662. Blaeu's maps were groundbreaking for their time because they were created in accordance with the heliocentric theories of Nicolaus Copernicus.
In 1672, a great fire in Amsterdam destroyed Blaeu's workshop, and the cartographer died a year later, apparently never recovering from this stroke of fate.
![Captain Thomas Brown | Illustrations of the American ornithology. Edinburgh, [1831]-1835, the dedicatee’s large-paper copy with superior colour](/assets/image/picture_3530891/4356c/d3pq3zhiust9qkvqz2se-qhtxbvjr0elnkb4s60nr-ccr4t6aso8gqamujl2v1698991970jpg__fix_374_244.jpeg)
![Captain Thomas Brown | Illustrations of the American ornithology. Edinburgh, [1831]-1835, the dedicatee’s large-paper copy with superior colour](https://veryimportantlot.com/assets/image/picture_3530891/4356c/d3pq3zhiust9qkvqz2se-qhtxbvjr0elnkb4s60nr-ccr4t6aso8gqamujl2v1698991970jpg__fix_374_244.jpeg)
William Curtis was a British botanist and entomologist, editor of the oldest botanical publication in Great Britain.
Curtis became interested in natural history in his youth, and at the age of 25 had already published "Instructions for the Collection and Preservation of Insects", particularly butterflies. In 1779 he founded his own London botanical garden at Lambeth and published Flora Londinensis (1777-1798), a 6-volume work on urban nature.
In 1787 Curtis began publishing the later popular Botanical Magazine, which also featured hand-colored plates by artists. This magazine has changed its name several times over time, but is still continued by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as a publication for those interested in horticulture, ecology or botanical illustration. Interestingly, the magazine was entirely hand-colored until 1948.
Paul Decker the Younger was a German painter and engraver.
He created engravings of biblical subjects, architectural landscapes and battle scenes.