ID 519348
Lot 57 | Jan Huygen Linschoten (1536-1611)
Estimate value
£ 12 000 – 16 000
Histoire de la navigation de Jean Hugues de Linscot Hollandais et de son voyage es Indes Orientales. Amsterdam: Theodore Pierre, 1610.
First French edition of this highly influential work on navigation, travel and exploration, from the library of Nicolas Fouquet (1615-1680), Superintendent of Finances in France under Louis XIV. Translated from Spanish and Portuguese documents on navigation and geography, Linschoten's work gathers together in encyclopaedic fashion 16th-century Western European knowledge and learning relating to the East and West Indies. It served as a direct stimulus to the building of the vast English and Dutch overseas empires. As a navigational aid, it was so highly esteemed that a copy was given to each ship sailing for the Indies. Linschoten's own first-hand knowledge came from his voyages to Goa in 1583 and to the Arctic with Willem Barents in 1594 in search of a North East Passage. It was first published with 42 maps and plates in Dutch in 1596 and then in Latin in 1599.
Nicolas Fouquet enjoyed a glittering career as Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653-1661. Born into an influential family, he used his office to amass huge wealth, and augmented it in 1651 by marrying Marie de Castille, receiving about 160,000 livres in a dowry from her wealthy Spanish family. He collected rare books and manuscripts, amassing a library of some 30,000 volumes, many of which today are in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. However, Louis XIV was suspicious of his political ambitions, and Fouquet sealed his fate by throwing a lavish party at his magnificent château on his estate of Vaux-le-Vicomte to entertain the king. Accused of peculation (maladministration of the state's funds) and lèse-majesté (actions harmful to the well-being of the monarch), the king had him imprisoned from 1661 until his death in 1680. Brunet III, 1091; Borba de Moraes, p. 489; Sabin 41369.
Folio (295 x 198mm). 7 folding engraved plates, 58 engraved illustrations in the text, errata leaf at end (title mounted, second folding plate with 40mm tear repaired and strengthened, faint staining to a couple of folding plates, leaf B1 folding to prevent map on B1v being trimmed, very small hole to B3 affecting a couple of letters). Slightly later calf, gilt arms of Fouguet on covers (rebacked).
Address of auction |
CHRISTIE'S 8 King Street, St. James's SW1Y 6QT London United Kingdom | |
---|---|---|
Preview |
| |
Phone | +44 (0)20 7839 9060 | |
Buyer Premium | see on Website | |
Conditions of purchase | Conditions of purchase |
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.