ID 1236241
Lot 11 | Saint Augustine's De civitate Dei
Estimate value
$ 20 000 – 40 000
The only Louvain edition of Saint Augustine’s magnum opus. Augustine, a native of North Africa, played a pivotal role in the development of theology in the Latin-speaking world. In the Middle Ages, “the writings of Augustine represented the most solid body of philosophical and theological ideas then available in Latin" (Kristeller). His works were central to the transmission of Platonic philosophy and “both Luther and Calvin took Augustine as the foundation of Protestantism next to the Bible itself” (PMM). This, his greatest work, was written in the wake of the fall of Rome, contrasting the fallible and frangible world of empire with the enduring eternity of the city of God.
This surrounding commentary by the thirteenth-century Dominicans Nicholaus Trivet and Thomas Waleys was often printed with the text. Johann of Westphalia was one of the first printers in Flanders and the first at Louvain, where he printed for the university from 1474 until 1496. HC 2061 = 2069; C 759; BMC IX 144; GW 2886; CIBN A-686; Bod-Inc A-528; Goff A-1242; ISTC ia01242000. See PMM xx and Paul Oskar Kristeller, Renaissance Thought and Its Sources (1979).
Royal folio (369 x 265mm). 300 leaves. Colophon printed in red. (Some leaves a little soiled around the edges, some dampstaining worse in the middle, a few small marginal chips and tears.) 18th-century Dutch blind-stamped vellum, paper index tabs marking beginning of books (remboîtage with later endpapers and 10 gatherings of blank leaves bound in at end, rear hinge cracked, final gathering [of blank leaves] sprung). Provenance: scattered marginal comments and underlining, including some notes on blank leaves in various hands at various times, with lines from Augustine's text copied out in an early script (sometimes trimmed) – Johann, priest of St Wilhelm’s (inscription dated 1523) – Thisbe Lappius (?, bibliographical note to endpaper) – Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague (ownership and duplicate release stamps on first text leaf) – George Merle Zacharias, 1858-1910, minister (bookplate noting donation to:) – current consingor (bookplate and blindstamps).
Artist: | Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430) |
---|---|
Genre: | Religious genre |
Place of origin: | Belgium |
Auction house category: | Antiquarian books, Printed books |
Artist: | Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430) |
---|---|
Genre: | Religious genre |
Place of origin: | Belgium |
Auction house category: | Antiquarian books, Printed books |
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 |
More from Creator
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.