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DE BRY, THEODOR. 1561-1623; AND JOHANN THEODOR DE BRY. 1561-1623. Nova Alphati Effictio histories ad singulas literas correspondentibus.... Frankfurt: [De Bry], 1595. image 1
DE BRY, THEODOR. 1561-1623; AND JOHANN THEODOR DE BRY. 1561-1623. Nova Alphati Effictio histories ad singulas literas correspondentibus.... Frankfurt: [De Bry], 1595. image 2
DE BRY, THEODOR. 1561-1623; AND JOHANN THEODOR DE BRY. 1561-1623. Nova Alphati Effictio histories ad singulas literas correspondentibus.... Frankfurt: [De Bry], 1595. image 3
Lot 54

DE BRY, THEODOR. 1561-1623; AND JOHANN THEODOR DE BRY. 1561-1623.
Nova Alphati Effictio histories ad singulas literas correspondentibus.... Frankfurt: [De Bry], 1595.

11 December 2020, 10:00 EST
New York

US$10,000 - US$15,000

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DE BRY, THEODOR. 1561-1623; AND JOHANN THEODOR DE BRY. 1561-1623.

Nova Alphati Effictio histories ad singulas literas correspondentibus.... Frankfurt: [De Bry], 1595.
4to (325 x 212 mm). Engraved title-page, 24 elaborately engraved plates of letters, all with grotesque Mannerist ornamentation. Brown morocco gilt by Riviere, triple gilt fillet on covers, floral gilt ornaments in corners, spine with intricate floral tooling in compartments, edges gilt. This copy had the engravings cut out and mounted during the nineteenth century on large papier Hollande in a folio format — the size of the cut-out sheets (195 x 150 mm) remains fully intact; the folio sheets measure 325 x 212 mm. Lacking 2 dedication leaves, including text to the letter A on verso, minor spotting to interleaved sheets, binding rubbed at extremities.
Provenance: Sir John Stirling Maxwell [1818-1878] (bookplate, his sale, Christie's London 1958, Lot 59); Nether Pollok "Arts of Design" (bookplate).

FIRST EDITION of this celebrated and rare Renaissance Alphabet Book. The letters appear in uppercase and are embedded within elaborate ornamentation consisting of Biblical figures, nymphs, fauns, musical instruments, cherubs, lovers, insects, fruits, birds, trophies, fish, lobsters, flowers, splendid entrelacs and luxurious arabesques. These extravagant illustrations are characterized by a disintegration of reality, in which the forms have been redistributed in accordance with the fantasy of the De Bry brothers. Each engraving is accompanied by a letterpress text in German and Latin on the verso, where the subject matter is identified. The engravings are individually signed "J.T.B. fe." "Elles représentent un grand Alphabet majuscule dont les lettres sont formées par découpures mouvementées ornées de figures de trophées, d'oiseaux, de fleurs et de fruits" (Guilmard, Les Maîtres Ornemanistes, p 368). Berlin Katalog 5281; Bonacini 292; BMC German 161; Brunet I, 1309.

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