ID 1105649
Lot 64 | THOMAS AQUINAS (c.1225-1274)
Estimate value
£ 35 000 – 45 000
Summa contra gentiles, sive De veritate Catholicae fidei. [Strasbourg: Printer of Henricus Ariminensis (Georg Reyser?), not after 1474].
First edition of Aquinas’s defence of Christianity: an exceptionally tall and fresh copy preserving several deckle edges. In this work, Aquinas skilfully integrates Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology, presenting a harmonious relationship between faith and reason. Once thought to have been written for the use of Dominican missionaries at the request of St Raymond of Penafort to assist them in converting Muslims and Jews in Spain to Christianity, the Summa contra gentiles explores the ways that both reason and revelation can lead towards Christian faith. Books printed with the first type of the anonymous Ariminensis press may be the work of Heinrich Eggestein rather than Georg Reyser. H 1385*; BMC I 77; BSB-Ink T-269; Bod-inc T-160; Goff T-190; ISTC it00190000.
Royal folio (407 x 285mm). 247 leaves (of 248, lacking final blank). Rubricated in red: initials (the large initial, 1⁄2r, in brown penwork), capital strokes, paragraph marks (trivial marginal worming in first 22 leaves). Contemporary calf over wooden boards, blind fillets, brass bosses and clasps, titled in manuscript direct to spine and with early title label on upper board (rebacked with remains of the original spine laid down). Provenance: several early annotations – Andechs, Benedictines (contemporary inscription, Iste liber attinet venerabili monasterio Sancti Nicolaj In monte sancto andezz) – Branner cat. 18 no. 3; Schab, March 1952 (purchased by:) – Estelle Doheny (label on pastedown, sale Christie's New York, 22 October 1987, lot 18) – J.R. Ritman (Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, Amsterdam, bookplate; sale Sotheby's, 6 December 2000, lot 40).
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.