Antique Maps & Prints Auction Preview, Week of December 12, 2005
Stalking Audubon's Quadrupeds At Bonhams
For antique maps and prints enthusiasts, the week opens with a sale at Bonhams in London on December 13, their Printed Books and Maps auction. I could see from the catalog cover shot that a set of Audubon's Quadrupeds of North America is featured somewhere in the sale, but where? Sadly, their online catalog is poorly-designed, and not separated into departments. As I clicked through page after page of the Bonham's catalog, I noticed that only about 1 in 10 of their lots are illustrated -- another irritation when you are trying to quickly locate an auction item. Scanning through the offerings, I stumbled on lot 86, Carey and Lea's 1823 Complete Historical, Chronological, and Geographical American Atlas, an important atlas for collectors of American antique maps, and surely underpriced at an estimate of 2,000-3,000 pounds sterling. Still no sign of those Quadrupeds. Lots of travel books from all parts of the world, and a nice looking Britannia by William Camden (lot 139, published 1772, estimate 1,000-1,500 pounds). Still no Quadrupeds.
Americana At PBA Galleries
By this time, I was tired of trying to catch a glimpse of Bonham's elusive example of Audubon's Quadrupeds, and decided to zoom over to a website where they know how to put an auction catalog online -- PBA Galleries in San Francisco. PBA Galleries not only puts a fully-illustrated catalog online, they also have a real time bidder tool that allows you to bid online during the live auction. I can personally attest to the fact that it works very well (sometimes too well, as my wallet could confirm). But that's not their fault. And coming on Thursday, December 15 from PBA, part two of their Americana auction -- Books from the Library of Ford Mitchell: Maps and Atlases. While not apparently as full of important antique maps as part one of this sale, nonetheless there are many items of interest to collectors of 19th century Americana, with a good proportion in an affordable price range. If you happen to be looking for a collection of maps, lot 301 is a more or less disbound edition of Tanner's 1845 New Universal Atlas, with an estimate of just $1,000-1,500. I noticed several other lots in this sale that are groups of maps, including some by Colton that included the desirable western maps.
Audubon At Christies
OK, so I couldn't find Audubon's Quadrupeds at Bonhams, but I did find his Birds of America at Christies. Their December 15 Birds of America sale at Rockefeller Plaza features the Providence Athenaeum copy of Audubon's masterwork, certainly one of the finest examples of the great bird book in existence today. With a presale estimate of $5-7 million, this will be a sale that brings out the big guns. It's a one-lot auction, so if you don't win the Birds, you should still have time to visit the Christmas tree at Rock Center.
Dominic Winter Sale
Don't forget to check out the monthly sale at Dominic Winter Galleries in England. This month's auction seems like a bit of a catchall, entitled Printed Books, Maps & Ephemera including Photography, but they have a nice example of Seutter's Recens Edita Totius America Septentrionali siti Delineatio Cura et Sumtibus, ca.1740, previewed on their home page. With the inset of New York, it is estimated to fetch 1,500-2,000 pounds sterling. The Dominic Winter auction is on Wednesday, December 14.
For antique maps and prints enthusiasts, the week opens with a sale at Bonhams in London on December 13, their Printed Books and Maps auction. I could see from the catalog cover shot that a set of Audubon's Quadrupeds of North America is featured somewhere in the sale, but where? Sadly, their online catalog is poorly-designed, and not separated into departments. As I clicked through page after page of the Bonham's catalog, I noticed that only about 1 in 10 of their lots are illustrated -- another irritation when you are trying to quickly locate an auction item. Scanning through the offerings, I stumbled on lot 86, Carey and Lea's 1823 Complete Historical, Chronological, and Geographical American Atlas, an important atlas for collectors of American antique maps, and surely underpriced at an estimate of 2,000-3,000 pounds sterling. Still no sign of those Quadrupeds. Lots of travel books from all parts of the world, and a nice looking Britannia by William Camden (lot 139, published 1772, estimate 1,000-1,500 pounds). Still no Quadrupeds.
Americana At PBA Galleries
By this time, I was tired of trying to catch a glimpse of Bonham's elusive example of Audubon's Quadrupeds, and decided to zoom over to a website where they know how to put an auction catalog online -- PBA Galleries in San Francisco. PBA Galleries not only puts a fully-illustrated catalog online, they also have a real time bidder tool that allows you to bid online during the live auction. I can personally attest to the fact that it works very well (sometimes too well, as my wallet could confirm). But that's not their fault. And coming on Thursday, December 15 from PBA, part two of their Americana auction -- Books from the Library of Ford Mitchell: Maps and Atlases. While not apparently as full of important antique maps as part one of this sale, nonetheless there are many items of interest to collectors of 19th century Americana, with a good proportion in an affordable price range. If you happen to be looking for a collection of maps, lot 301 is a more or less disbound edition of Tanner's 1845 New Universal Atlas, with an estimate of just $1,000-1,500. I noticed several other lots in this sale that are groups of maps, including some by Colton that included the desirable western maps.
Audubon At Christies
OK, so I couldn't find Audubon's Quadrupeds at Bonhams, but I did find his Birds of America at Christies. Their December 15 Birds of America sale at Rockefeller Plaza features the Providence Athenaeum copy of Audubon's masterwork, certainly one of the finest examples of the great bird book in existence today. With a presale estimate of $5-7 million, this will be a sale that brings out the big guns. It's a one-lot auction, so if you don't win the Birds, you should still have time to visit the Christmas tree at Rock Center.
Dominic Winter Sale
Don't forget to check out the monthly sale at Dominic Winter Galleries in England. This month's auction seems like a bit of a catchall, entitled Printed Books, Maps & Ephemera including Photography, but they have a nice example of Seutter's Recens Edita Totius America Septentrionali siti Delineatio Cura et Sumtibus, ca.1740, previewed on their home page. With the inset of New York, it is estimated to fetch 1,500-2,000 pounds sterling. The Dominic Winter auction is on Wednesday, December 14.
posted by Neil Street at 7:12 AM
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