Event Calendar

The Passion of American Collectors: Property of Barbara and Ira Lipman | Highly Important Printed and Manuscript Americana

Sotheby’s is immensely gratified to offer the collection of Highly Important Printed and Manuscript Americana as the capstone to our series of sales of The Passion of American Collectors: Property of Barbara and Ira Lipman. Collectors are often advised to collect what they love. Ira Lipman certainly followed that counsel. He deeply loved the United States, and was proud of her achievements and eager to correct her flaws—as he demonstrated as a crusading high school reporter during the integration of Little Rock Central High School, where he was a student. From the earliest explorations of North America to Second World War, Lipman collected, studied, and understood the primary records of American history: letters and documents, books and broadsides, maps and atlases, pamphlets and newspapers. The great figures of American history are certainly represented in the Lipman Collection. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, Abraham Lincoln, and scores of others. But the items in the collection are not merely examples of an autograph or imprint. Rather, they illuminate the great events and movements of the last five centuries: exploration and colonization, Revolution, the establishment of a new nation, Civil War, abolition, emancipation, and much more. Ira Lipman would surely endorse the concept of these historical treasures becoming parts of many other collections that will cherish them in the way that he and Mrs. Lipman did.

10am

Sotheby's - New York
1334 York Avenue

New York, NY

Collection of a Connoisseur: History in Manuscript, Part 2
Sale #L21412

Napoleon ordering the invasion of England; Winston Churchill to Lawrence of Arabia, expressing his admiration for Seven Pillars of Wisdom; Ronald Reagan to one of his closest personal allies on the changes he has just witnessed on his visit to Moscow as glasnost took hold; documents bringing to life the folly of the Charge of the Light Brigade; Robespierre ordering arrests during the Terror; Catherine the Great on the construction of St Petersburg’s largest Cathedral; George III writing to Napoleon of “friendship and goodwill”.

These are just a few of the historical moments preserved in this second selection from a remarkable collection of letters and documents, which was assembled by a discerning connoisseur over a period of some twenty years. This final sale, which comprises entirely fresh material, covers four centuries of European history, from Philip II of Spain to the end of the Cold War, but once again has a particular focus on the Napoleonic period. Several important letters by Napoleon are included, from his crucial command in Italy in 1797 to preparations for the defence of France following the disastrous March on Moscow, as are many letters by his Marshals, allies, and enemies. There are letters by monarchs of Britain, France, Russia, and elsewhere – even the powerful Ethiopian Emperor Theodore II. Wider culture, especially of the 19th century, is represented in letters by figures including Oscar Wilde, Monet, Renoir, Voltaire, and others. This is a sale that once again reveals the potency of the autograph letter to convey history in manuscript form.

2pm

Sotheby's - London
34-35 New Bond Street

London, England, UK

Books, Manuscripts, Photographs: From the Middle Ages to the Moon
Sale #20382

A wide-ranging online auction encompassing works from the 12th to the 21st century. This sale features a diversity of categories including medieval manuscripts, autograph letters, incunabula and early printing, travel and cartography, fine bindings, important scientific books and manuscripts, and NASA photographs. The auction also includes charming original artworks by Sir Quentin Blake, to be sold to benefit Comic Relief.

Among the highlights are a copy of Schedel’s Nuremberg Chronicle (1493) from the library of Imperial poet laureate Michael Abel, an attractive Armenian illuminated manuscript, a stunning jeweled binding by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, and important medical works such as Ignaz Semmelweis’s seminal treatise on the importance of hand-washing in medical practice.

2pm

Christie's Auctions - London
8 King Street St. James's

London, England, UK

Antique Books, Manuscripts, Prints, Engravings, Maps & Collecting on Paper

18.00

Exhibition:
Since April 5th from 9.00 to 18.00
(please request an appointment)

El RemaTe Subastas
Calle de Modesto Lafuente, 12

Madrid, Spain

Printed & Manuscript Americana
Sale #2564

10:30am

Exhibition Hours By Appointment Only

Swann Auction Galleries
104 East 25th Street

New York, NY