WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900) - photo 1
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900) - photo 2
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900) - photo 3
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900) - photo 4
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900) - photo 5

WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)

Lot 156
13.02.2025 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
To bid, go to the website
CHRISTIE'S
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
ID 1362813
Lot 156 | WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
Estimate value
£ 20 000 – 25 000
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
The Sphinx. London: Elkin Mathews and John Lane. The Ballantyne Press, 1894.
A fine copy of the limited edition, one of 25 deluxe large paper copies. Dedicated to his friend the symbolist poet Marcel Schwob (1867-1905), who had worked with Wilde on translating his infamous play Salome, The Sphinx is ‘a fairy tale for adults in Wilde’s most jewelled and extravagant style’ (Collected Poems, p.xxii). Charles Ricketts ‘was requested by Wilde to design this first edition of The Sphinx, and it is the first book over which he exercised complete control of illustration, page, and binding design’ (The Turn of the Century 10). ‘No illustrated book was ever more thoroughly planned [...] The result is a perfect whole, as harmonious as it is dazzling’ (Ray, The Illustrator and the book in England 262). Henri Vever was one of the most important European Art Nouveau jewellers of the early 20th century and the author of La Bijouterie Francaise au XIXème siecle 1800 - 1900. Mason 362.

Quarto (256 x 187mm). One of 25 copies printed in green, red and black on hand-made paper, half and full page illustrations and ornamental initials by Charles Ricketts. Original gold-tooled vellum, with sphinxes on both sides, signed with initials CR (Charles Ricketts) and HL (Henry Leighton, binder), ‘eyes’ gilt stamped to all four corners of turn-ins, original cloth ties, yapp edges, untrimmed (lower margin of upper side very slightly rubbed); housed in fine olive morocco case with perspex sides by Lobstein-Laurenchet. Provenance: Henri Vever (1854-1942; ownership inscription) — Barry Humphries (1934-2023; bookplate).
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
13.02.2025 – 13.02.2025
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

The Happy Prince, signed with an autograph letter
The Happy Prince, signed with an autograph letter
$100
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
£3 000
WILDE, Oscar (1864-1900)
WILDE, Oscar (1864-1900)
£12 000
WILDE, Oscar (1864-1900)
WILDE, Oscar (1864-1900)
£40 000
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
£25 000
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
£6 000
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
£25 000
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
£1 000

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.