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Swann, June 17: Lot 13: Arthur Rackham, Candlelight, pen and ink, circa 1900.Swann, June 17: Lot 28: Harold Von Schmidt, "I Asked Jim If He Wanted To Accompany Us To Teach The Hanneseys A Lesson.", oil on canvas, 1957.Swann, June 17: Lot 96: Arthur Szyk, Thumbelina, gouache and pencil, 1945.Swann, June 17: Lot 101: D.R. Sexton, The White Rabbit And Bill The Lizard, watercolor and gouache, 1932.Swann, June 17: Lot 127: Miguel Covarrubias, Bradypus Tridactilus. Three-Toed Sloth, gouache, circa 1953.Swann, June 17: Lot 132: William Pène Du Bois, 2 Illustrations: Balloon Merry Go Round On The Ground And In The Air, pen and ink and wash, 1947.Swann, June 17: Lot 137: Lee Lorenz, Confetti Hourglass, mixed media, 1973.Swann, June 17: Lot 181: Norman Rockwell, Portrait Of Floyd Jerome Patten (Editor At Boy's Life Magazine), charcoal, circa 1915.Swann, June 17: Lot 188: Ludwig Bemelmans, Rue De Buci, Paris, casein, watercolor, ink and gouache, 1955.Swann, June 17: Lot 263: Maurice Sendak, Sundance Childrens Theater Poster Preliminary Sketch, pencil, 1988.
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Fonsie Mealy’s
Chatsworth Summer Fine Art Sale
18th June 2025Fonsie Mealy, June 18: William IV, c1830, oversized slope-top Rosewood Davenport Desk, Attributed to Gillows of Lancaster. With Provenance to Oscar Wilde.Fonsie Mealy, June 18: William IV, c1830, oversized slope-top Rosewood Davenport Desk, Attributed to Gillows of Lancaster. With Provenance to Oscar Wilde.Fonsie Mealy, June 18: William IV, c1830, oversized slope-top Rosewood Davenport Desk, Attributed to Gillows of Lancaster. With Provenance to Oscar Wilde.Fonsie Mealy, June 18: French Bateau Bed, exhibition piece from the Exposition Universelle—The Paris World’s Fair, 1878. Third quarter of the 19th century. With Provenance to Oscar Wilde. -
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Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 567. One of the Earliest & Most Desirable Printed Maps of Arabia - by Holle/Germanus (1482) Est. $55,000 - $65,000Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 681. Zatta's Complete Atlas with 218 Maps in Full Contemporary Color (1779) Est. $27,500 - $35,000Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 347. MacDonald Gill's Landmark "Wonderground Map" of London (1914) Est. $1,800 - $2,100Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 1. Fries' "Modern" World Map with Portraits of Five Kings (1525) Est. $4,000 - $4,750Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 539. Ortelius' Superb, Decorative Map of Cyprus in Full Contemporary Color (1573) Est. $1,100 - $1,400Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 51. Mercator's Foundation Map for the Americas in Full Contemporary Color (1630) Est. $3,250 - $4,000Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 667. Manuscript Bible Leaf with Image of Mary and Baby Jesus (1450) Est. $1,900 - $2,200Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 226. "A Powerful Example of Color Used to Make a Point" (1895) Est. $400 - $600Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 290. One of the Most Decorative Early Maps of South America - from Linschoten's "Itinerario" (1596) Est. $7,000 - $8,500Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 62. Coronelli's Influential Map of North America with the Island of California (1688) Est. $10,000 - $12,000Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 589. The First European-Printed Map of China - by Ortelius (1584) Est. $4,000 - $5,000
Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - November - 2006 Issue
Three Copies Of Le Chavalier Delibere From Librairie Thomas-Scheler
By Michael Stillman
One of the interesting challenges of preparing catalogue reviews for the Americana Exchange is the opportunity to write about those written in a language you do not understand. I am not assigned too many of these, for which I am most grateful, but once in awhile, my monolingual limitations are exposed, and I am forced to fake it or report to the unemployment insurance office. I choose to fake it. So here we go. We have received an attractively illustrated catalogue from Librairie Thomas-Scheler, operated by Bernard and Stephane Clavreuil of Paris. As is often the case, Parisian booksellers publish their catalogues in French. So, before I try to explain what I cannot understand, I will caution that this is a catalogue which will be best appreciated by those able to read (and understand) French.
The title and subject of the catalogue is Le Chevalier Delibere, in English, "The Resolute Knight." This was a 15th century work by Olivier de la Marche, and the many printings and even manuscripts that appeared in numerous languages for several centuries attest to its once great popularity. This is a poem, written in 1483, in 2,704 lines. It is what was known as an epic poem, a literary format very popular through the 19th century.
The fictional knight of this poem evidently philosophizes over the issues of life and death in an era when knights (and just about everyone else) had short life spans. He contemplates whether his demise will come at the hands of allegorical Lord Accident or Sir Debility. This is a weighty, though probably not very happy poem. Along the way, this poor knight learns about others who have died, from his own lifetime and in ancient history. This poem is not a lot of laughs, but times were hard in the 15th century.
Writer Olivier de la Marche lived from 1426 to 1502. He was active in the Court of Burgundy, a very loyal officer, who wrote a few works, including history as well as poetry. His memoirs are one of the better of the historical resources for this time.
Librairie Thomas-Scheler has three copies from the 15th century of Le Chevalier Delibere. Language shortcomings prevent me from describing these in any detail. There is a manuscript version from Flanders written in 1484. The others are printed editions from 1488 and 1489. All three are illustrated. For more details, you will need to contact Librairie Thomas-Scheler. They may be reached via email at basane@thomas-scheler.fr or by telephone at +33 (0)1 40 46 91 46.