Picasso’s Celestine, Conan Doyle Letter on Houdini, Art Deco Posters: Auction Preview
Adolphe Mouron Cassandre's 1932 triptych poster design for Dubonnet, offered at Swan Galleries this week.
Here's what I'll be watching this week in the sale rooms:
On Tuesday, April 22, New England Book Auctions sells 225 lots of Fine Books & Ephemera.
At Swann Galleries on Tuesday, Fine Books, in 360 lots. A copy of the 1971 limited edition of Fernando de Rojas' La Célestine illustrated by Pablo Picasso is expected to lead the sale at $30,000–40,000. William Blake's Illustrations of the Book of Job (1825) is estimated at $20,000–30,000, as is a copy of Arthur Szyk's 1940 version of the Haggadah, edited by Cecil Roth. This copy is inscribed by both Szyk and Roth. At the same estimate range are a copy of the 1859 edition of Edward Fitzgerald's translation of the Rubaiyat containing the annotations of Scottish artist William Bell Scott, as well as a copy of the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) inscribed by illustrator W.W. Denslow.
University Auctions holds a sale of Rare Autographs, Books & Photos and an Abraham Lincoln Collection on Wednesday, April 23, in 535 lots. An interpositive photographic image of Lincoln (that is, a silver gelatin positive transparency on glass) made by George B. Ayres using the original 1860 collodion negative of Alexander Hesler rates the top estimate of $800,000–1,000,000. The image is housed in a bespoke case to allow for backlight illumination of the glass plate. Other lots include three pages of Albert Einstein's unified field theory equations ($80,000–120,000) and Marilyn Monroe's annotated copy of the script for her (unfinished) last film, "Something's Got to Give" ($75,000–100,000).
At ALDE on Thursday, April 24, Bibliothèque Chaye-Petritzi Grèce et Levant – Atlas & livres de voyages – Histoire naturelle, in 293 lots.
Forum Auctions sells 306 lots of Books and Works on Paper on Thursday, including titles from the library of the General Theological Seminary in New York (lots 71–112). Nicolas de Blégny's 1687 work Le Bon usage du thé, du caffé et du chocolat shares the top estimate of £1,500–2,000 with a copy of the 1734 Young Lady's companion in cookery and pastry, preserving, pickling, candying, &c. This copy bears the ownership inscription of a Mary Jenkin, dated 1738.
At Potter & Potter on Thursday, 347 lots of Houdiniana & Magic Memorabilia, including Houdini's copy of the first reference book to contain his name, a 1917 edition of Frank Vizetelly's A Desk-Book of 25,000 Words Frequently Mispronounced. This is estimated at $10,000–15,000. A fascinating four-page Arthur Conan Doyle letter about Houdini from around 1926 is expected to sell for $10,000–20,000.
Swann Galleries sells 100 lots on Thursday in a sale titled Art Deco at 100: Iconic Posters from the William W. Crouse Collection. The Adolphe Mouron Cassandre triptych for Dubonnet (1932) is estimated at $400,000–600,000. Charles Loupot's St. Raphaël (1938) could sell for $40,000–60,000.
