Bible, German | Nuremberg, 1788, finely bound by the workshop of Georg Friedrich Lütkemann of Rostock - photo 1
Bible, German | Nuremberg, 1788, finely bound by the workshop of Georg Friedrich Lütkemann of Rostock - photo 2

Bible, German | Nuremberg, 1788, finely bound by the workshop of Georg Friedrich Lütkemann of Rostock

Lot 15
28.11.2023 14:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 4 000
AuctioneerSotheby´s
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1073293
Lot 15 | Bible, German | Nuremberg, 1788, finely bound by the workshop of Georg Friedrich Lütkemann of Rostock
Estimate value
£ 4 000 – 5 000
Bible, German

Biblia, das ist: die gantze heilige Schrifft dess Alten und Neuentestaments. Wie solche von… Martin Luther… In unsere Teutsche mutter-sprach… Gebracht… Samt einer Vorrede Herrn J.M. Dillherrns. Nuremberg: In Verlegung der Johann Andrea Endterischen Handlung, 1788

Folio (420 x 275 mm.), woodcut head- and tailpieces, many woodcut vignettes of biblical scenes throughout the text, 20 full-page engravings by J. C. Claussner, MAGNIFICENT ELABORATELY GILT AND PAINTED PERIOD CALF OVER THICK BEVELLED WOODEN BOARDS by the bindery of Georg Friedrich Lütkemann of Rostock, covers with entrelac design in black and gilt forming multiple compartments filled with floral sprays, fleurons, and lozenges made up of flowers, volutes, acorns, and acanthus leaves, both covers with a large central cruciform ornament composed of leafy stems; raised bands with single gilt rule, spine elaborately gilt in compartments with central floral lozenge and ornate floral cornerpieces, multiple decorative rules at head and tail, two original ornate brass and leather clasps, turn-ins gilt with plain and beaded rules, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt and gauffered in a fan design at corners, small repair across top of spine, rear board with three areas of lost patina due to insect damage

This is a marvellously decorative binding presented by the head of a bindery to regional officials, as a token of thanks for the commissions he received from the local research library over the years. In the effusive letter tipped in here, Georg Friedrich Luetkemann of Rostock expresses his deep gratitude for the work entrusted to him over the years, and asks the honourable gentlemen to accept this “masterpiece by [his] youngest son” as evidence of his esteem. He notes that it is a comfort in his old age that, although his hands are no longer capable of executing fine bindings, his children carry on the family workshop—a not-so-subtle hint that they would be ready, able, and happy to continue to provide binding services to the library. In addition to the Old and New Testaments, this volume contains the Apocrypha, the Augsburg Confession, and notes by prominent Lutheran theologians.
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
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