HOMER (c. 8th century BCE) - photo 1
HOMER (c. 8th century BCE) - photo 2
HOMER (c. 8th century BCE) - photo 3
HOMER (c. 8th century BCE) - photo 4
HOMER (c. 8th century BCE) - photo 5
HOMER (c. 8th century BCE) - photo 6

HOMER (c. 8th century BCE)

Lot 110
11.12.2024 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
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CHRISTIE'S
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 1349710
Lot 110 | HOMER (c. 8th century BCE)
Estimate value
£ 70 000 – 100 000
HOMER (c. 8th century BCE)
Opera, in Greek. Venice: Aldus Manutius, [after 31 October 1504]
[Bound with:]
QUINTUS Smyrnaeus (fl. 4th century). [Posthomerica:] Derelictorum ab Homero libri quatuordecim, in Greek. - TRYPHIODORUS (3rd or 4th century). De Trojae excidio, in Greek. - COLLUTHUS. De raptu Helenae, in Greek. [Venice: Aldus Manutius, c.1505]
Rare complete set of the first Aldine edition bound with the first edition of works by post-Homeric poets in a contemporary Venetian alla greca binding with a purchase note dated 1513. No other complete set of the Aldine Homer has sold at auction in over 30 years (Christie’s 7 October 1994, lot 38 - even that was a non-uniform set). The integrity of the present set confirms Renouard’s dating of the post-Homeric Quintus edition to 1505 and considering it as a companion edition to the Homer; his suspicions based on type and format were confirmed by his discovery of an entry in Aldus’s hand in his 1503 catalogue of publications including Homer and Quintus among works printed in 1504-05. The Aldine Homer is the second edition of Homeric corpus, reprinting the 1488 Florentine editio princeps with few corrections. The epic poems in the second work unite Quintus of Smyrna’s bridging the gap between the Iliad and the Odyssey; Triphiodorus' Sack of Troy; and Colluthus’s Rape of Helen. Both works take their place in Aldus’s series of libri portalis, bringing classical texts to the market in pocket-size editions. Interesting to note is the contemporary purchase inscription by Antonio Covi in this set. He bought it at Venice in 1513 for 8 lire, whereas the price on publication a decade earlier had been 1 ducat 3 lire for Homer and 3 lire for Quintus. I: Adams H-741; Ahmanson-Murphy 86; Renouard Alde, 46.6; II: Adams Q-77; Ahmanson-Murphy 95; Renouard Alde, 261:14.

2 works in 2 volumes, octavo (165 x 112mm). One volumes contains the Lives of Homer followed by the Iliad, the other volume contains the Odyssey, Batrachomyomachia and Hymns, followed by the Quintus edition. Greek and Roman types. Woodcut anchor and dolphin Aldine device on titles of Iliad and Odyssey and on the title and at the end of Quintus (small wormhole in final 4 quires of Quintus, faint stain at extreme fore-edge of first few quires of the Odyssey). Contemporary Venetian alla greca blind-tooled chestnut goatskin over wooden boards, raised headcaps, board edges grooved, panelled sides tooled with foliate and arabesque stamps [see De Marinis 1679 bis for 2 tools], blue edges, title written along bottom edges, original endpaper (skilfully restored at joints, spine ends, and one front board, missing fore-edge clasps); cloth folding boxes. Provenance: Antonio Covi (several inscriptions, one recording his purchase at Venice for 8 lire dated 1513; a few contemporary annotations – Antonio da Casteno (inscription) – Leon S. Olschki (booklabel with book number ‘No. 21374’ in vol.1) – [sold Christie’s, 3 May 1995, lot 48] – Livio Ambrogio (bookplate).
Place of origin:Italy, Europe
Auction house category:Books and manuscripts, Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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11.12.2024 – 11.12.2024
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