VESALIUS, Andreas (1514-64) - photo 1
VESALIUS, Andreas (1514-64) - photo 2
VESALIUS, Andreas (1514-64) - photo 3

VESALIUS, Andreas (1514-64)

Lot 129
13.07.2022 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 50 400
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 794615
Lot 129 | VESALIUS, Andreas (1514-64)
Estimate value
£ 40 000 – 60 000
VESALIUS, Andreas (1514-64)

VESALIUS, Andreas (1514-1564). De humani corporis fabrica libri septem. Basel: Johannes Oporinus, June 1543.

First edition of 'the most famous anatomical work ever published … and the milestone in all medical history’ (Heirs of Hippocrates ). The Fabrica is 'a complete anatomical and physiological study of every part of the human body... [dealing] with bones and muscles, blood vessels, nerves, abdominal viscera, thoracic organs and the brain' (PMM). Benefitting from the then radical practice of dissecting the human body rather than animals, Vesalius broke new ground in his method and observations, thus fundamentally dividing the study of anatomy into pre- and post-Vesalian periods.



The Fabrica combines scientific exposition, art and typography in a manner unprecedented in the 16th century and rarely equalled in later centuries. The more than 200 woodblocks for the illustrations were prepared in Venice by an anonymous artist in the school of Titian under Vesalius's supervision and shipped to the publisher in Basel with the author's precise instructions for placing them in relation to the text and for keying explanations printed in the margins to particular illustrations or details. The woodcuts were highly influential and were re-used or copied for over a century; the woodblocks themselves survived in Germany up to the Second World War. The 14 muscle-men stand in landscapes that together form a panorama of the Euganean Hills near Padua, where Vesalius studied and wrote his magnum opus, and even the woodcut initials, cut specially for this edition, depict activities associated with the dissecting room. The fugitive single leaf in quire m which contains small woodcuts intended to be cut out and attached as overlays to the large folding skeletons, is missing here as in a number of other copies. Adams V-603; Dibner Heralds 122; Garrison-Morton 375; Heirs of Hippocrates 281; Grolier Medicine 18A; NLM/Durling 4577; PMM 71; Wellcome 6560; Norman 2137.



Royal folio (405 x 278mm). Roman, italic, Hebrew and Greek types, two folding sheets following m2 and p3, woodcut pictorial title in first state, author portrait, over 200 woodcut illustrations, including 3 full-page skeletons and 14 full-page muscle-men, one folding sheet and one cut partly coloured, printer's device at end, and many woodcut historiated and ornamental initials from several sets. (Lacking 3 leaves [engraved pictorial title (replaced with ?18th-century letterpress title window-mounted), portrait (supplied in facsimile and mounted), and single leaf ‘Charta parvas aliquot figuras complectens’ usually bound in quire m], folding sheets mounted on verso, a few neat tears without loss, internal tear in b2 repaired affecting a few letters, darkening/staining at some extreme margins with resultant fraying in a few, e4v-5r lightly soiled, few marginal holes in final leaf). 17th-century panelled Dutch vellum over pasteboard. arabesque medallion at centres (evidence of two fore-edge ties, boards detached, spine defective). Provenance: ?18th-century bibliographical note on front pastedown.





Special notice


No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.
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

More from Creator

Compendiosa totius Anatomie delineatio
Compendiosa totius Anatomie delineatio
$35 000
De humani corporis fabrica
De humani corporis fabrica
$100
Vesalius's Icones anatomicae
Vesalius's Icones anatomicae
$4 000
Vesalius's Icones anatomicae
Vesalius's Icones anatomicae
$4 000
Vesalius's Icones anatomicae
Vesalius's Icones anatomicae
$12 000

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.