Author: reiss

We are pleased to announce our upcoming autumn auctions. Three richly illustrated catalogues with more than 2160 lots are now accessible online or can be ordered in print:

Catalogue 221: Wine & Oenology – 424 lots from the important library of Dr. Friedrich von Bassermann-Jordan with books from the 16th to the 19th century, manuscripts, broadsides and dissertations, mainly in Latin, German, French, Italian and English, on viticulture, various growing regions, wine production, wine trade and other related topics.

Catalogue 222: Valuable books and manuscripts – with 829 lots from the Middle Ages to modern times, including 8 illuminated Books of Hours, a collection of rare children’s books and many more.

Catalogue 223: Geography – Travel – Atlases – Photography – Maps – Decorative Prints – comprising 883 lots. Among them are important atlases and rare maps as well as a collection of beautiful tulip watercolours and engravings from the early 17th century.

Our catalogue preview is unavailable at the moment as we are currently switching to the catalogue presentation. The online catalogues with all their functions will be available shortly.

Our NEW CATALOGUE PREVIEW with an extensive selection of objects from the upcoming auctions is now available online. The selection with descriptions and pictures will be regularly updated with further entries.

Browse now! You can add objects of your interest to your personal bookmarks list (registration required). This will be retained when the auction catalogues are published.
The catalogue preview can be sorted according to various criteria and is accessible via full-text search. There are three different list views to choose from.

_{The total number of items on offer can be viewed when the auction catalogues are published approx. 4 weeks before the auction date.}

_{Bids cannot be accepted before the auction catalogues are published. We reserve the right to make changes to descriptions and images, to remove items from the catalogue preview and to make any other changes.}

World Book Day, a holiday for all book lovers, has been celebrated on 23 April for almost 20 years. So it is more than fitting that this year’s spring auctions in Königstein began yesterday on this holiday. Reiss & Sohn was already able to record numerous fantastic results in the morning. Outstanding was the 180% increase in the estimate of a rare 16th century ceremonial book depicting and describing the ceremonies and festivities in Prague and Landshut on the occasion of the awarding of the Order of the Golden Fleece to Emperor Rudolf II, Archdukes Charles and Ernst and several other noblemen (lot 239, P. Zehendtner von Zehendtgrub, Ordenliche Beschreibung mit was stattlichen Ceremonien und Zierlichkeiten…). After a nerve-wracking bidding battle, a written bidder finally prevailed (hammer price 42,000 euros, estimate 15,000 euros).

Two splendidly illuminated Latin and French books of hours for the use of Rome found new owners for 32,000 euros hammer price (estimate 30,000 euros, lot 21) and 21,000 euros hammer price (estimate 20,000 euros, lot 20). A very rare and early manuscript leaf – from the time of Charlemagne, around 800 – in a beautiful, clear handwriting was heavily contested and was finally sold to a lucky bidder on the telephone for 30,000 euros (estimate 10,000 euros).

In the late afternoon, a magnificent and rare collection of natural history works compiled by the parisian publisher Desnos, including plates from some of the most important botanical and ornithological works of the 17th and 18th centuries by Maria Sibylla Merian, Daniel Rabel and J. Jonston, fetched the highest hammer price to date on the opening day at 55,000 euros.

The auctions will continue until tomorrow evening, with a rich selection of old printed works, atlases, maps, city views, etc. Visit us in the hall or take part in the live auction at https://www.reiss-sohn.de/en/live-auction/

The catalogues of REISS & SOHN’s spring auctions from 23-25 April 2024 are now available online with over 2000 lots. Once again this season, a wide range of rare, valuable and beautiful manuscripts, books, prints and travel photographs will be on offer.

Particularly noteworthy are three lavishly illuminated Latin and French books of hours for the use of Rome (estimates €20,000-30,000), each one unique, as well as the first complete edition of J. W. Weinmann’s “Phytanthoza-Iconographia” in 5 volumes. This is one of the most beautiful and comprehensive plant works of the Baroque period, here in splendid colouring (estimate €70,000).

Also on offer is J. O. Lewis’s “The Aboriginal Port Folio”, an extremely rare and earliest illustrated work with portraits of North American Indians (estimate €70,000); as well as a rare and decorative world map in double heart-shaped projection from the Salamanca-Lafreri Offizin from 1602 (estimate €35,000). In addition to this small selection, there are of course countless other treasures in a wide variety of chapters and price segments – browse for yourself!

Königstein (Taunus), Germany, November 2023

The second auction day of the large autumn auctions was also concluded with great success. The highlight of catalogue 218, a collection of important atlases comprising about 100 lots, was called yesterday at noon and attracted international audiences to bid in the hall, on the telephone and live on the screens. Particularly noteworthy in this area were the sales of the 12-volume edition of J. Blaeu’s “Le grand atlas”. The magnificently coloured and gold-heighteneded copy with over 580 engraved maps and plates fetched a proud 202,300 euros (incl. buyer’s premium).

A rare later Dutch edition of the “Atlas novus” by J. Janssonius fetched 89.250 Euro (incl. premium) and the magnificent Dutch sea atlas by P. Goos “Atlas de la Mer, ou Monde Aquatique” was sold for 65.450 Euro (incl. premium). Equally sought after was the rare and also unique compilation of French nautical charts in the 12-volume “Dépôt Général de la Marine” (proceeds incl. premium 59.500 Euro).  But not only the atlases achieved top prices, the other departments already called also look back on very good results, some in the five-figure range, including the first edition of A. N. Vaillant’s “Voyage autour du monde” in a decorative copy for 47,600 euros (incl. premium), C. P. Claret de Fleurieu’s “Voyage autour du monde” in a rare copy of the luxury variant in 4to format brought 29.750 Euro (incl. buyer’s premium) and a copy of J. de Acosta’s “America, oder wie mans zu Teutsch nennet die Neuwe Welt” with an extremely rare map of the Pacific was knocked down to a new owner for 23.800 Euro (incl. buyer’s premium).

Reiss & Sohn is looking forward to many more exciting bidding battles on today’s last auction day. The results and post-sale lists will be published promptly on our website for interested customers.

Königstein (Taunus), Germany, October/November 2023

Reiss & Sohn opened this year’s autumn auctions on the first day with great success. The most outstanding price to date of 131,000 euros (incl. buyer’s premium) was achieved after a fierce bidding battle between room, telephone and live online bidders a unique manuscript with 458 watercolours and drawings of the entire animal kingdom of Polynesia, which originate from the scientific research of Charles-Gaëtan Noury (1809-1869).

An etching “Scholar in his study, called: Faust” by Rembrandt, in an excellent impression in its first state found a new owner for 54,000 euros (including buyer’s premium). For the first edition of the famous “Encyclopédie” by D. Diderot & J. le Rond d’Alembert in a complete copy of 35 volumes, the hammer fell at 36.000 Euro (incl. premium). A richly illuminated Latin book of hours from the 2nd half of the 15th century also changed hands for an impressive 36,000 euros (including buyer’s premium). The auctions will continue until Thursday evening with catalogue 218: On offer are books and prints with a focus on geography, travel, photography, as well as important atlases, maps and decorative printss.

The 2023 Fall Auctions begin tomorrow, October 31, at 10:00 a.m.

Sign up now for Live Bidding online or send us your written bids now through our website.