Bible, German | Biblia, Nuremberg, 1768, fine contemporary binding, gilt and painted - photo 1
Bible, German | Biblia, Nuremberg, 1768, fine contemporary binding, gilt and painted - photo 2

Bible, German | Biblia, Nuremberg, 1768, fine contemporary binding, gilt and painted

Lot 13
28.11.2023 14:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 3 048
AuctioneerSotheby´s
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1073291
Lot 13 | Bible, German | Biblia, Nuremberg, 1768, fine contemporary binding, gilt and painted
Estimate value
£ 4 000 – 5 000
Bible, German

Biblia, das ist: die gantze heilige Schrifft, Altes und Neues Testaments. Verdeutscht von M. Luther und auf verordnung ernsts, Herzogen zu Sachsen… erkläret. Nuremberg: J.A. Endter, 1768

Folio (465 x 315 mm.), woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, and 40 full-page and 8 double-page engravings by Johann Christoph Claussner, SPLENDID CONTEMPORARY CALF OVER BEVELLED WOODEN BOARDS, ORNATELY GILT AND PAINTED, covers with multiple compartments formed by interlacing black painted strapwork and filled with floral sprays, fleurons, and lozenges made up of flower tools, volutes, and acanthus leaves, both covers with a large central cruciform ornament composed of leafy stems; raised bands decorated with gilt rope flanked by rows of stars, spine lavishly gilt in compartments with floral cornerpieces and central lozenges within a black strapwork frame, gilt titling in the second compartment, original leather strap closures decorated in gilt and black, brass clasps and catch plates with figures of saints, turn-ins adorned with repeating rows of gilt volutes, all edges gilt and gauffered at corners and along spine, upper joint repaired at head, slightly rubbed

This handsomely illustrated edition of Luther’s landmark translation of the Bible comes in a majestic binding that reflects the text’s importance, not just to faith but to world literature. The binding is very similar to that on another copy of this work in the British Library (shelfmark c125k1), down to the “elaborate clasps” noted in the Database of Bookbindings.

The decoration here was a bit old fashioned in its day, the strapwork compartments with vigorous gilt tooling being more typical of the 17th century, but the style was still seen on German Bibles during the 18th century, as indicated in the above-cited item and in #359 of the Henry Davis Gift, executed at the Benedictine monastery of Ettal in Bavaria ca. 1725.
Auction house category:Prints, graphics, books
Address of auction Sotheby´s
34-35 New Bond Street
W1A 2AA London
United Kingdom
Preview
28.11.2023
Phone +44 (0) 20 7293 5000
Phone +1 212 606 7000
Email
4FQ.AE2YUKFA@AYGLGHC3Y@
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.