book of hours

The "Astor-Aubéry de Frawenberg" Hours Up For Auction

The "Astor-Aubéry de Frawenberg" Hours, a beautiful Book of Hours dating back to the 1500s goes up for auction at the Heritage Rare Books Auction on April 7. A Book of Hours is a medieval devotional book. These illuminated manuscripts are often illustrated and decorated with gold detail and are incredibly ornate and beautiful, many are in museums and libarary collections.

It is believed that this one was made for a nobleman of Toul, in eastern France, circa 1500-1520. It is bound in red velvet and was later encased in seventeenth-century decorated silver gilt covers with royal arms designed for the manuscript, and intricate designs of birds, vases, sphinxes and more. Inside the manuscript contain 19 large miniatures, four full-page miniatures, and 28 small miniatures with pure gold details by by the Parisian workshops of Jean Pichore and Jean Poyet.

The book was possibly crafted for someone in the Aubéry de Frawenberg family and the beautiful binding was added to the manuscript later. Sometime before 1884, American ambassador to Rome and the wealthiest man in America at the time, Viscount William Waldorf Astor bought it for the what was then a huge amount, £420. The manuscript is believed to be connected with Toul, a town in Eastern France because the calendar names of two Toul feasts are featured in gold and the Cathedral of Toul is in the background. of one of the miniatures. It is estimated to sell for at least $325,000.

Gallery: The "Astor-Aubéry de Frawenberg" Hours

Tags: astor, book of hours, illuminated manuscripts, rare books, william waldorf astor

The Sacred and the Spooky Up For Auction At Swann Galleries

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Books

It's a little late for Halloween but on Tuesday, November 9, Swann Galleries in New York will offer a wide range of books that includes an intriguing selection of occult material. Shown above is Francis Potter, An Interpretation of the Number 666, first edition, Oxford, 1642 which is estimated to sell for $1,000 to $2,000. Other occult highlights include Johannes Trithemius, Polygraphie et Uniuerselle escriture Cabalistique, first edition in French of the earliest treatise on cryptography, Paris, 1561 ($3,000 to $4,000) and Jean Bodin, La Demonomanie des Sorciers, one of the most celebrated books on the theory and practice of witch hunting, Paris, 1598 ($800 to $1,200).

Should your bibliophile tendencies be a bit more angelic, the sale also features an illuminated manuscript Book of Hours in Latin and French, on vellum, with 13 large and two small miniatures in colors and gold, Paris, late 15th century with 16th- century additions which is estimated to sell for between $15,000 and $20,000). A set of the second Estienne Hebrew "pocket" Bible, which is considered one of the most impressive examples of Hebrew printing of the French Renaissance, 17 parts in eight volumes, bound in 16th-century calf with gilt arabesque centers, Paris, 1544-46 is estimated at $10,000 to $15,000. The sale also includes a variety of medical and scientific books including a first edition of the first complete textbook of astronomy in Hebrew. The books will be on public exhibition Friday, November 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, November 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday, November 8, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Tuesday, November 9, from 10 a.m. to noon. An illustrated catalogue is available for $35 from Swann Galleries, Inc., 104 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010, or online at www.swanngalleries.com.

Tags: book of hours, occult books, rare books, swann galleries