[PS. PLINY or SEXTUS AURELIUS VICTOR (c.320-390), here attributed to SUETONIUS (c.69-c.122)] - photo 1
[PS. PLINY or SEXTUS AURELIUS VICTOR (c.320-390), here attributed to SUETONIUS (c.69-c.122)] - photo 2
[PS. PLINY or SEXTUS AURELIUS VICTOR (c.320-390), here attributed to SUETONIUS (c.69-c.122)] - photo 3

[PS. PLINY or SEXTUS AURELIUS VICTOR (c.320-390), here attributed to SUETONIUS (c.69-c.122)]

Lot 25
13.07.2022 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 6 930
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 794548
Lot 25 | [PS. PLINY or SEXTUS AURELIUS VICTOR (c.320-390), here attributed to SUETONIUS (c.69-c.122)]
Estimate value
£ 6 000 – 9 000
[PS. PLINY or SEXTUS AURELIUS VICTOR (c.320-390), here attributed to SUETONIUS (c.69-c.122)]

De Praeclare gestis Romanorum, in Latin, decorated manuscript on paper [northern Italy], 10 December 1432.

An early, dated humanist copy of a rare text of short biographies of important men in the history of Rome, from Procas to Pompey, signed by the scribe Michele da Bergamo.



188 x 142mm. 32 leaves, complete, modern foliation 1-32 followed here, 24 lines, ruled space: 145 x 91mm., one large initial in blue with red penwork flourishing, initials in red throughout (a few marginal stains, some thumbing). 19th-century quarter green morocco gilt over marbled paper boards (text block almost detached from upper board, edges and spine scuffed).



Provenance:

(1) The colophon, dated 10 December 1432, identifies the scribe as Michele da Bergamo (‘Finitu[m] fuit hoc opus per me Michaelem de P[er]gamo de Anno currente Millesimo quatercentessimo trigessimo secondo die x decembris’), son of Balzarino (‘filius qu[o]nda[m] balzarini’).

(2) 19th-century page tipped in to front flyleaf with description of the text in Spanish. Book sticker with no 5099 on inside lower cover.



Content: Suetonius Tranquillus De Praeclare gestis Romanorum, beginning ‘Proca rex Albanoru[m] Amulium et Numitorem filios habuit […] ff.1-26v; a paragraph on the 10 Kings of Egypt f.27; modes of addressing friends and officials, in Italian and Latin f.27v; PSEUDO-PILATUS, Pontius, Epistola ad Tiberium, beginning ‘Nuper accidit’ f.28; blanks ff.29-32.

More commonly known as the De viris illustribus, this is a chronological compilation of short, concise biographies of important men from the history of the Roman republic, falling within the popular genre of Roman exemplary literature, the most famous of which is Suetonius’ early second-century work De Vita Caesarum. Where modern editions of the text usually contain 86 chapters, beginning with the reign of the mythological King Procas of Alba Longa and ending with Cleopatra, these are based on only two extant manuscripts. Almost all other surviving manuscript copies (including this one) have 77 chapters, beginning with Procas and ending with Pompey the Great.



From the 16th century onwards editions of the text of the present manuscript have generally been attributed to Sextus Aurelius Victor (c.320-90 CE), a Roman historian and politician. The 15th-century manuscript and incunable tradition is much more complicated, with texts variously attributed to Sextus Aurelius Victor, Pliny (the Younger, if indicated), Cornelius Nepos, and, much less frequently, Suetonius (for example in an incunable apparently printed in Milan by Philippus de Lavagnia in 1475, Goff A1385; H 2133; GW M50382; and a 1510 edition printed in Strasbourg which also includes the same final added verses as in the present manuscript: ‘Romanas acies regumque illustria facta / Si cupis hoc sumas fac breve lector opus / Quod breve sit quamvis i[n]gentia po[n]dera rer[um] / Continet et veterum fortia facta virum’). Despite considerable attention to the issue of its authorship (see M.M. Sage, ‘The De Viris Illustribus: authorship and date’, Hermes 108, (1980), pp.83-100), its true author remains unknown.



There are over 150 surviving manuscript copies of the text (see M.D. Reeve and R. J. Tarrant, ‘De viris illustribus,’ Texts and Transmission: A Survey of Latin Classics, 1983, p.151), but it is exceptionally rare on the market.





Special notice


No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.
Place of origin:Italy, Europe
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
13.07.2022 – 13.07.2022
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.
?>