The final major auction under the Aristophil Collections label achieved a total of €6,885,574, conducted by auctioneers Claude Aguttes and Sophie Perrine on November 16, 2022, in Neuilly-sur-Seine. This last significant event garnered 10 preemptions, five years after the inaugural sale held in December 2017.

"Was it out of recklessness, passion for rare objects, or simply a challenge that led me to undertake the impossible Aristophil adventure? Someday, I’ll need to write this saga, marked by a multitude of events. Nothing was predictable: neither the duration, nor the reception by buyers, nor the quality and authenticity of the lots discovered along the way. Thousands of sellers, lots, and buyers. 55 catalogs. Never has an auctioneer had the opportunity—or the audacity—to take on such a task. The final sale was an emotional moment for me. It felt impossible that the chapter was closing. Ending with nearly €7 million in total bids in a single afternoon was the grand finale of a remarkable series," shared Claude Aguttes, auctioneer.

"Quality lots attract quality collectors! Illuminated manuscripts, incunabula, and printed books, some among the most sought-after works, secured the highest bids," commented Sophie Perrine, auctioneer.

Sale No. 55 • ORIGINE(S) • TWO THOUSAND YEARS OF WRITINGS: FROM PAPYRUS TO PRINTED BOOKS

This 55th and final major auction, featuring ancient manuscripts, illuminated books, books of hours, incunabula, and rare books, saw 9 lots exceed €200,000 and 21 surpass €100,000. In addition to numerous French bidders, participants from around the world, including many Americans, Chinese, British, Germans, and Dutch, joined the sale. French bidders were the most successful in winning lots.

Top 5

Lots 1 – Lot 45 - COPERNICUS - COPERNIC (NICOLAS) (1473-1534) - €606,576

2 – Lot 38 - SAINT JEROME EPISTOLAE [LETTERS] EDITION BY ADRIANUS BRIELIS - €429,658

3 – Lot 36 - BIBLIA LATINA. [Strasbourg, Heinrich Eggestein, no later than May 24, 1466] - €353,836

4 – Lot 12 - Epistle of Paul to the Romans. Saint Catherine’s Monastery at Sinai - €299,000

5 – Lot 34 - MANUSCRIPT NAUTICAL ATLAS, Marseille, Honoré Boyer, 1648 - €266,500 - Preempted by the Bibliothèque nationale de France – Maps and Plans Department - Classified as a National Treasure.

All prices are inclusive of fees.


Lot 45
De Revolutionibus Orbium coelestium, Libri VI de Nicolas Copernic

Six enchérisseurs se sont disputés De Revolutionibus Orbium coelestium, Libri VI de Nicolas Copernic (lot 45) jusqu’à 606 576 €. Il s’agit d’une édition originale de ce livre célèbre qui révolutionna la conception de l’univers. Seul ouvrage de Copernic à paraître de son vivant, le De Revolutionibus fut publié quelques jours avant sa mort. Il ne causa à l’époque qu’un débat modeste, et la théorie héliocentrique défendue ici ne fut mise à l’Index qu’en 1616.


Lot 38
Saint Jerome Epistolae, edition by Adrianus Brielis (died in 1472)

This exceptional illuminated copy, printed on vellum and bound in a contemporary binding by the successor of Johann Vogel, achieved €429,658. It is the first edition of the expanded version (over 200 letters and treatises) by Saint Jerome, published by Peter Schoeffer, Gutenberg's main partner. The illumination—lavish in detail—was crafted by two artists, the first associated with the Waldburg-Wolfegg Hausbuch and the Pontifical of Adolf of Nassau (Archbishop of Mainz), and the second linked to one of the artists of the Virgil of Heidelberg (Vat. Pal. Lat. 1632), as analyzed by E. König (1987). The monumental binding is attributed to an anonymous workshop in Erfurt, successor to Johann Vogel, known for work with the Carthusians of Erfurt. This copy, known as the “Doheny” copy, stands among the finest examples from the early days of printing in Mainz: “We stand at a sort of crossroads, where early Mainz printing, early engraving, and major German book illumination all seem to intersect” (König, 1987, p. 29).


Lot 36
The Biblia Latina, an incunable, soared to €353,836. It is the first book printed by Heinrich Eggestein, a student of Gutenberg, marking one of the greatest milestones in the history of German printing.

10 Preemptions on November 16, 2022, totaling 335 since the first Aristophil Collections sale

The auction held on November 16, 2022, featured 10 preemptions, bringing the total number of preemptions in the Aristophil Collections to 335 across 55 public sales. On this date, the following institutions exercised their preemptive rights: the Bibliothèque nationale de France - Department of Maps and Plans, the Ministry of Armed Forces, the Library of the Institut de France, the Municipal Library of Évreux, the Departmental Archives of Haute-Marne, the Bibliothèque nationale de France - Arsenal Library, the Municipal Library of Nîmes, the Ministry of Culture for the Treasury of the Sens Cathedral, and the École Polytechnique.

List of Preemptions by Winning Bid Amount:

  • Lot 34 - Manuscript Nautical Atlas, Marseille, Honoré Boyer, 1648 - €266,500 by the Bibliothèque nationale de France - Department of Maps and Plans. Classified as a National Treasure.

  • Lot 121 - Alfred de Vigny (1796-1863), autograph manuscript signed “Alfred de Vigny” - €58,500 by the Ministry of Armed Forces.

  • Lot 74 - Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), Pierrette. Scène de la vie de Province - €42,965 by the Library of the Institut de France.

  • Lot 28 - Book of Hours for the Use of Évreux - €14,300 by the Municipal Library of Évreux.

  • Lot 17 - Robert de Bourgogne - €8,060 by the Departmental Archives of Haute-Marne.

  • Lot 105 - Raymond Queneau (1903-1976), autograph manuscript Morale élémentaire [1973-1975] - €6,500 by the Bibliothèque nationale de France - Arsenal Library.

  • Lot 97 - Louis-Jules Mancini-Mazarini, Duke of Nivernais (1716-1798), partially autograph manuscript of his Fables - €7,150 by the Library of the Institut de France.

  • Lot 84 - Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897), autograph notebook signed, Sapho [1883] - €5,200 by the Municipal Library of Nîmes.

  • Lot 62 - Missale Romanum, restored as per the decree of the Council of Trent. Paris, Le Mercier et Boudet, 1742 - €2,527 by the Ministry of Culture for the Treasury of Sens Cathedral.

  • Lot 152 - Henri Poincaré (1854-1912), 12 autograph letters signed "Poincaré" to a “dear Comrade” - €1,300 by the École Polytechnique.


Lot 34
Manuscript Atlas by Honoré Boyer - Nationally Classified Treasure
Preempted for €266,500 by the Bibliothèque nationale de France - Department of Maps and Plans.

This manuscript atlas by Honoré Boyer (Marseille, 1648, grand folio atlas 57 x 38 cm), recently classified as a National Treasure, attracted significant attention from the Bibliothèque nationale de France - Department of Maps and Plans, which acquired it at a preemption price of €266,500. Previously unknown as a cartographer, Honoré Boyer created this atlas in 1648. Absent from specialized records, he appears to have been an amateur cartographer, drawing particularly from Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian atlases for his large nautical maps of Europe, the Mediterranean, and America, as indicated by the place names he used. Marseille, in the 17th century, was a major hub for marine chart production. “The first examples of Marseille hydrography are contemporaneous with the port's commercial expansion towards the Levant in the 16th century” (M. Mollat du Jourdin and M. de La Roncière, Les Portulans, no. 74).

Lot 121
Alfred de Vigny (1796-1863), autograph manuscript signed “Alfred de Vigny”
Preempted by the Ministry of Armed Forces

The Ministry of Armed Forces secured Lot 121, an autograph manuscript signed by “Alfred de Vigny,” with a preemption bid of €58,500. This valuable working manuscript contains the three novellas that form the masterpiece Servitude et grandeur militaires [1833-1835], bound in three folio volumes. Initially conceived as a novel project titled The Life and Death of a Soldier in the fall of 1830, Servitude et grandeur militaires consists of three novellas, published in La Revue des deux mondes from 1833 to 1835: Laurette or The Red Seal (March 1, 1833), The Vigil at Vincennes (April 1, 1834), and The Life and Death of Captain Renaud, or the Reed Cane (October 1, 1835). The original edition appeared in October 1835, published by Félix Bonnaire and Victor Magen, with the addition of three introductory chapters and another chapter “On Responsibility” preceding The Vigil at Vincennes. These theoretical chapters are absent from this manuscript, which presents the three stories in their original form, as they were individually published in La Revue des deux mondes.

"Such a collection, such a body of work! While the sales were court-ordered, we treated them as we would any client. Managing sales over time, by theme, high-quality appraisals, exceptional photos and catalogs, elegant exhibitions, and a strong digital presence. The total sold amounts to approximately €100 million, but more importantly, these catalogs will leave a lasting mark on the auctioneer profession. It has been done, and it has been a success. Today, I feel both relieved and proud," remarked Claude Aguttes, auctioneer.

Sale No. 55 • ORIGINE(S) • TWO THOUSAND YEARS OF WRITINGS: FROM PAPYRUS TO PRINTED BOOKS
Auctioneers: Claude Aguttes and Sophie Perrine
Expert: Thierry Bodin, Ariane Adeline, Jacques Benelli
Specialists: Laura Lebarbey and Stéphanie Guerit

Aristophil Collections – Final Events:

54 VARIA, MANUSCRIPTS, AUTOGRAPHS
Drouot Estimations
Online-Only Sale on Drouot Online until November 24, 2022

56 VARIA, LETTERS AND MANUSCRIPTS, AUTOGRAPHS, PHILATELY, GRAPHIC WORKS
December 1, 2022