Ambroise Firmin-Didot (1790-1876) - photo 1
Ambroise Firmin-Didot (1790-1876) - photo 2

Ambroise Firmin-Didot (1790-1876)

Lot 177
09.12.2020 00:00UTC +01:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 2 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 470286
Lot 177 | Ambroise Firmin-Didot (1790-1876)
Estimate value
£ 2 000 – 3 000
Ambroise Firmin-Didot (1790-1876)

Catalogue illustré 1878-84

FIRMIN-DIDOT, Ambroise (1790-1876) -- Catalogue illustré des livres précieux, manuscrits et imprimés, faisant partie de la bibliothèque de M. Ambroise Firmin-Didot. Paris: Adolphe Labitte & the widow Labitte, Librairie & Typographie Firmin-Didot & Cie., 1878-1884.



A very fine set of the limited edition on large paper, one of 500 copies, the first two volumes of the set subscribed to by Laurence Potier. Although the 3,320 lots sold in these six sales only represented a small portion of the vast collection of books and manuscripts assembled by Ambroise Firmin-Didot during his long life, they were the most valuable ones, realizing the vast sum of 2,612,743 frs, 25 centimes, including the 5% sales tax – the most important sale held in France since the MacCarthy-Reagh sale of 1815. Gustave Pawlowski, Firmin-Didot's old librarian and secretary, again collaborated in the compilation of the sale catalogues, as he had already done in the sale catalogue of the drawings and engravings in 1877. On the printed front wrappers, at least of the six volumes of the ordinary edition, underneath the names of Delestre and Labitte, is the note ‘Se Vend Au Profit Des Pauvres,’ a fact that has remained unrecorded by DBF, Jammes, and other authorities. Blogie II, cols. 150,154,159,164,168,172.



6 volumes, quarto (290 x 192mm). Approximately 200 plates. Indices and printed price lists. Contemporary crimson half morocco, marbled sides, top edge gilt, others uncut, by Edouard Pagnant. Provenance: Laurence Potier (d. 1880, original subscriber) – Conte Andrea Bocca (bookplates) – Bernard Breslauer (sale Christie’s, Bibliotheca Bibliographica Breslaueriana, 22-23 March 2005, lot 623).

Auction house category:Books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
09.12.2020 – 09.12.2020
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.