Reiss & Sohn completes successful auction week
The third day began with the auction of the children’s books section. Here, the particularly extensive section with ABC books in various languages was in high demand. For example, the ‘Nationen A.B.C.’ from 1825 realised a hammer price of 2400 euros (estimate 800), Campes’ “Neues Abeze- und Lesebuch mit vielen schönen Bildern” from 1807 was knocked down for 5500 euros and an extremely rare and very early textbook by G. P. Platz entitled ‘Sehr leichte neuerfundene Art, die Kinder das Frantzösische A, B, C. buchstabiren und die Ortographie besagter Sprache in kurtzer Zeit zu lehren’ is still very much in demand today and found its new owner after a bidding duel for 2000 euros (hammer price), far above the estimate of 800 euros.
The 883 lots of catalogue 223 ‘Geography – Travel – Atlases – Photography – Maps – Decorative Prints’ were auctioned on the afternoon of the third day and on the fourth day. The only and extremely rare edition of one of the first scientific monographs on the Philippines, by J. Mallat ‘Les Philippines’ from 1846, doubled its estimate of 8,000 euros and was knocked down to a bidder on the telephone for 16,000 euros. Also noteworthy was the hammer price of 10,000 euros for a world map in 2 hemispheres ‘Nova totius terrarum orbis tabula’ by H. Hondius for J. Janssonius, Amsterdam, 1641.
A total of 20 lots with coloured floral engravings from B. Besler’s ‘Hortus Eystettensis’ were offered in the ‘Decorative Prints’ section on Friday morning and sold without exception. 7 further splendid sheets showing tulips from the ‘Hortus Eystettensis’ were also included in a sub-section of decorative prints with tulip depictions comprising 33 lots. Here, too, almost no sheet remained unsold. In addition to the old coloured copperplate engravings, the catalogue included 10 lots of fine watercolours created at the beginning of the 18th century. These unique pieces realised particularly pleasing hammer prices well above the estimate. The top result of 4500 euros (estimate 2000 euros) was achieved by a watercolour with an arrangement of 3 stems with tulip blossoms flamed in red and yellow, with a scroll and a small butterfly.
Reiss & Sohn looks back on a very successful autumn season 2024 and invites you to participate by consigning items for the next spring auctions in 2025.
