Manuel Chrysoloras (c.1350-1415) - photo 1
Manuel Chrysoloras (c.1350-1415) - photo 2
Manuel Chrysoloras (c.1350-1415) - photo 3
Manuel Chrysoloras (c.1350-1415) - photo 4

Manuel Chrysoloras (c.1350-1415)

Lot 18
11.12.2024 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
To bid, go to the website
CHRISTIE'S
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
ID 1349667
Lot 18 | Manuel Chrysoloras (c.1350-1415)
Estimate value
£ 15 000 – 20 000
Manuel Chrysoloras (c.1350-1415)
Erotemata, in Greek, decorated manuscript on paper [Italy, ?Milan, final quarter 15th century]
A rare copy of the Greek Donatus, or the elementary Greek grammar composed by the Byzantine Greek classical scholar, humanist, philosopher, professor, and translator Manuel Chrysoloras (c.1350-1415), written by the scribe Damilas, in a contemporary Italian binding.

164 x 111mm. i+31 leaves, collation: 1-28, 37(of 8, lacking viii), 48, gathering signatures survive, 19 lines written in a fine, upright Greek minuscule by Demetrios of Crete, also known as Damilas, written space: 115 x 74mm, the text opening with a coloured interlace headpiece and a large initial in red and blue (lacking one leaf after f.23, some thumbing and marginal spotting). Bound in contemporary ?Milanese blind-stamped goatskin over thin wooden boards (a few losses to the upper cover, edges scuffed, lacking clasp, binding a little loose).

Provenance:
(1) The script of the present manuscript has been attributed by Konstantinos Sp. Staikos to the scribe and calligraphist Demetrios of Crete, also known as Damilas, active in Milan, Rome and Florence in the final quarter of the 15th century and known for having designed and cut the punches of the first book entirely printed in Greek, the famed 1476 Milanese Laskaris.

(2) Later ?19th-century inscriptions '2285' and '15' on inside upper and lower boards.

Contents: Erotemata, in the abridged version, ff.1-31.

The Erotemata, so-called because it was arranged according to the traditional 'erotematic' method of questions and answers, was without exception the most influential and popular Greek grammatical textbook of the Italian Renaissance. It was, in fact, the first basic Greek grammar in use in Western Europe, published in 1484 and widely reprinted, and enjoying considerable success not only among Chrysoloras' pupils in Florence, but also among leading humanists: it was studied by Thomas Linacre at Oxford and by Erasmus at Cambridge. The grammar has a very complex textual transmission, with the simultaneous circulation of the original 'full' version, and the more widespread and popular abridged text, as found in the present manuscript, written between 1417-1418 by Chrysoloras' pupil Guarino da Verona (1374-1460). Numerous 'contaminated' versions, mingling the abridgment of Guarino and the full version of Chrysoloras are recorded. The oldest extant copy in the full version is generally regarded to be Rome, BAV, Vat. Pal. Gr.116.

The present manuscript of the abridged version is contemporaneous with the text's first appearance in print. It rarely appears on the market.
Place of origin:Greece, Europe
Auction house category:Books and manuscripts
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
11.12.2024 – 11.12.2024
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.
?>