Walter of Châtillon (1135-1180) - photo 1
Walter of Châtillon (1135-1180) - photo 2
Walter of Châtillon (1135-1180) - photo 3
Walter of Châtillon (1135-1180) - photo 4

Walter of Châtillon (1135-1180)

Lot 24
13.12.2023 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 25 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1105655
Lot 24 | Walter of Châtillon (1135-1180)
Estimate value
£ 25 000 – 35 000
Walter of Châtillon (1135-1180)

Walter of Châtillon (active 1170-180), Alexandreis, in Latin, decorated manuscript on vellum [Florence, c.1450s].

A vanishingly rare appearance on the market of one of the most popular epic poems of the Middle Ages: Walter of Châtillon’s Alexandreis, written in a fine Florentine script of the 15th century.



203 x 140mm. i + 53 + i leaves, collation: 16, 2-410, 511 (of 10, iii loose and misplaced within text), 66, modern pagination in pen 1-106 followed here, c.32-36 lines of hexameter verse in a 15th-century Florentine script, the initial of each line touched in blue, larger initials in red with purple penwork decoration or blue with red penwork decoration, contemporary annotations throughout (lacking around 30 leaves, including around 10 leaves with the Prologue, Book I and the first half of Book II until line 189, two leaves in Book III with lines 87-218, 10 leaves in Books VIII-IX with VIII.12-IX.174, 4 further leaves in Books IX-X with lX.384-X.65 and the end of Book X, pp.29-32 supplied on paper, warping to vellum, marginal damp-staining throughout, especially to pp.1-7 and 102-103, some tears, flaws and contemporary repairs to vellum). White vellum binding (a little stained and warped).



Provenance:

(1) The manuscript was in the collections of Prof. Gerlando Bianchini, renowned Sicilian palaeontologist, anthropologist and founder of the Museo di Antropologia of Agrigento, a member of an important Sicilian family immortalised by Luigi Pirandello in I Vecchi e i Giovani.



(2) By descent to his heirs.



Content: The text begins in Book II, line 189: ‘Increpat usque metus ac secum pauca susurrat’; Book III, pp.12-20 (p.77-78 is misnumbered and should follow p.14); Book IV pp.20-42; Book V pp.42-58; Book VI pp.58-75; Book VII pp.75-94; Book VIII p.94; Book IX, beginning line 175, pp.95-100; Book X pp.101-106, ending at line 268 ‘Miserat intextum, galeam Kartago pyropo […]’.



Alexandreis (or Alexandreid) is a medieval Latin epic poem by Walter of Châtillon, a 12th-century French writer and theologian who studied under Stephen of Beauvais and wrote a large number of poems in the Goliardic manner that found their way into the Carmina Burana collection. Alexandreis is a skilful versification of Curtius Rufus’ prose biography of Alexander the Great, and an important version of the Alexander romance, giving an account of the life of Alexander the Great. Composed in ten books of hexameter verse during the last quarter of the 12th century, it was popular and influential in Walter's own time, even being translated into Icelandic prose as the Alexanderssaga and being given the ultimate accolade by Henry of Brussels when he stated that, in comparison with it, the reading of the ancient authors was being neglected in schools. Over 200 manuscripts are extant, with an abundance of interesting variants, with several copies in British libraries. It is, however, exceptionally rare on the market, with only a single copy – part of a compilation – having appeared at auction in the last century (Sotheby’s, 5 December 1989, lot 96).

Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
09.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
10.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
11.12.2023 09:00 – 18:00
12.12.2023 09:00 – 17:00
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions 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.
?>