Henry Purcell (1659-1695) - photo 1
Henry Purcell (1659-1695) - photo 2

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Starting price
£ 100
Auction dateClassic
15.12.2023 11:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1109052
Lot 252 | Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Orpheus Britannicus. A Collection of all the Choicest Songs for One, Two, and Three Voices. London: J. Heptinstall for Henry Playford, 1698
Folio (308 x 190mm). Title printed in red and black. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Purcell by White after Closterman (marginal repairs to frontispiece and final leaf, repaired tears just into text in a1-2 and 2b1, a few signatures and page numbers just trimmed, light soiling or staining). 18th-century speckled calf, green morocco spine label lettered in gilt (front board nearly detached and partial splitting to lower joint, spine ends just chipped, some staining, rubbing to extremities). Provenance: ‘J Salb[?] 1698. Ex dono viduae’ (contemporary inscription on title recording gift from Frances Purcell and, possibly in the same hand, ‘Musarum Sacerdos’ inscribed on frontispiece) – Sotheby’s, London, 26 & 27 May 1983, lot 65.

First edition, presentation copy from Purcell’s widow, under whose direction the work was prepared. Purcell ranks as the most important English composer between William Byrd and George Friedrich Handel, and this extensive posthumous collection is the first attempt to gather together all of his songs. RISM P 5979.
Place of origin:United Kingdom
Category:Printed book
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
09.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
10.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
11.12.2023 09:00 – 20:00
12.12.2023 09:00 – 17:00
13.12.2023 09:00 – 17:00
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.