Autographs, Documents & Manuscripts

[MANUSCRIPT - MEDIEVAL TIMEKEEPING]. Calculus temporum ecclesiasticus.
[Possibly England, ca. 1360]. Small 4to (15.5 x 22.5 cm). Latin manuscript on paper. Brown ink in an early bastarda hand, the final three leaves in a slightly later (still quite contemporary) hand. 19th-century paper wrappers, with the manuscript title on the front wrapper. 30 ll. Full description

[MANUSCRIPT - MORLOT DE WENGI, Alcibiade]. Etude de diverses parties de l'art de la Guerre
[France], January 1820. Small 4to (ca. 20.5 x 16 cm). With 6 hand-coloured folding illustrations, 3 full-page plates (on pp. 36, 57, and 83), 1 half-page plate (on p. 79), and numerous smaller mathematical figures, tables, and other illustrations in the text, most with grey washes and some in colour. The work is written in French in a very neat cursive hand. Contemporary half green painted sheepskin, red sprinkled paper sides. 151, [152-155 blank] pp. Full description

[MANUSCRIPT - NAVIGATION - DUTCH]. De schat kamer ofte de konst der stuurlieden.
[The Netherlands], [ca. 1702/13?]. Folio (33.5 x 21.5 cm). With more than 300 mathematical figures and illustrations, mainly full-, half- and quarter-circle diagrams. The Dutch text is written in a clearly legible, 18th-century cursive hand in brown ink. Contemporary flexible paperboards. [213], [4 blank], [1] pp. Full description

[MANUSCRIPT - PARAGUAY RIVER]. Discripças do Rio Paraguay en 1794. [Description of the river Paraguay in 1794].
[Paraguay and/or Brazil], [ca. 1794]. 34 x 22 cm. Written in brown ink in a very legible late 18th-century cursive. Stitched through 2 single holes, only one remains intact. [1], [1 blank], [12], [2 blank] pp. Full description

[MANUSCRIPT PATTERN BOOK - CHINESE CERAMICS]. [Chinoiserie decorations for ceramics].
[Denmark?], [ca. 1822-1834, with one note dated 1841]. Folio (ca. 33.5 x 21.5 cm). 31 blue paper leaves with approximately 210 illustrations, drawn on both sides of the leaves, all in brown ink, sometimes decorated with blue pencil, some with dates and/or captions in Danish written ini ink in a contemporary hand (the artist's?) with gothic influences. 45 illustrations show Chinese scenes and scenery, and 165 are showing ornaments, designs and patterns. Contemporary half calf, sewn on 4 recessed supports, shell-marbled sides. [31] ll. Full description

[MANUSCRIPT - PRAYERBOOK]. [1st rubric:] Form zu betten unser liebe[n] frawen mantel, Gebet. [incipit:] Cegrüest seiestu o süesse aller heiligste junckfraw maria ...
[Ravensburg?], [ca. 1670]. Small 16mo in 8s (10 x 8.5 x 4 cm; leaf: 9 x 7.5 cm). German manuscript in red and black ink on paper, written in an upright, semi-cursive gothic hand, with so-called lombardic initials in red, rubricated throughout. With 11 lines per page, text block 7 x 5.5 cm. Contemporary blind-tooled pigskin over bevelled wooden (beechwood?) boards, sewn on 3 double supports, In total more than 100 impressions of about 9 stamps. Further with 2 strap fastenings with brass clasps (each with an owners(?) stamp: 1.5 mm roman capital initials "LH" above a 3 mm head in profile, facing right), catchplates and anchor plates, plain headbands, blue edges. With 27 mm roman capital initials "BR" in brown ink on the foot edge. [423], [3 blank] pp. plus 3 endleaves at the front and 5 at the back. Full description

[MANUSCRIPT - PRAYER BOOK - GERMAN]. Geistlicher Seelen-Wecker. Allen in Gott Christlich glaubenden Seelen zu Nurz[!] und grösserem Eyfer zusam[m]en getragen. Darin[n]en Schöne auserlösene Morgen- Abend- Mess- Beicht und Communion Gebetter.
[Germany, Franconia, diocese Würzburg?, ca. 1780]. 8vo (17.5 x 11.3 cm). Written in a clear German cursive in brown ink with chapter titles and captions in Fraktur script in gold, blue, black, and red with red pen flourishes; the text is written within a manuscript double-lined frame in brown ink. With two mezzotint engravings of Christ carrying the cross and Christ's Vera effigies with a crown of thorns, mounted on p. [6] and p. 7; both engravings show Christ's wounds and blood painted red. The engravings are by Johann Martin Will (1727-1806), engraver and art dealer in Augsburg. Contemporary gold-tooled dark brown leather. [1], [3], 307, [9], [4 blank except for the text frames] pp. Full description

[MANUSCRIPT - PRAYER BOOK - GERMAN]. Andachts Eyfer Worinnen enthalten Fruh- Abend- Meess Beicht und Kommunion dann andere heilige Gebether. Geschrieben in Jaht Christi 1791 von Johann Karl Erbes.
[Germany], 1791. 8vo (18.5 x 11 cm). Written in a clear Roman script by Johann Karl Erbes, title in a structured floral frame, all text is written in 15 to 18 lines per page, all within a manuscript floral frame. Contemporary gold-tooled black morocco. The work is kept in a mottled leather and floral paste paper slipcase. [1 blank], [2], [1 blank], 206, [2], [6] pp. Full description

[MANUSCRIPT - RELIGION - DUTCH]. [KLAUBER, Joseph Sebastian and Johann Baptist KLAUBER (engravers)]. [Litanie van de heilige maagd Maria].
[Flanders?, early 19th century]. 8vo. With 56 tipped in numbered engraved plates, and a hand-drawn frame in brown ink on every page, in which the text is written. Contemporary gold-tooled mottled calf in a clear plastic protective sleeve, with the title lettered in gold on a black morocco spine label, engravings with red edges. [8], [1 blank], "55" [= 90] pp. Full description

[MANUSCRIPT - SIGNATURES - THE NETHERLANDS]. Handteekeningen van I. Gecommiteerde Raden van de Staten van Holland... II. Vorsten, staatsmannen, krijgsbevelhebbers, geleerden enz. ...
[The Netherlands, early 19th century]. Large 4to. With 162 signatures on 160 vellum or paper cuttings (mostly vellum, including 2 cuttings with 2 signatures each), mostly from the 17th century, some from the 18th century and a few from the early 19th century. Further with one large printed coat of arms (of the Wassenaer family) on the verso of the title page, an engraving (ca. 9.5 x 7 cm) showing the house of Jacob Cats on the verso of leaf 34, and with 19 printed coats of arms on the versos of several leaves (16 depicting a coat of arms with the name of the family below and 3 blank shields). The title-page, headings, and captions all in a very neat late-18th-century or early 19th-century cursive script, written in Dutch using brown ink. Splendid late 18th-century (ca. 1790) gold-tooled red morocco, sewn on 4 supports with a smooth spine, bound by the so-called Second Dissertation Bindery (Leiden ca. 1780-ca. 1794; Storm van Leeuwen IIA, pp. 350-358), with 4 closing loops on the front board (1 top edge, 2 fore-edge, 1 bottom edge) connecting to 4 closing knotted buttons on the back board. Both boards show 3 gold-tooled floral frames built up from 2 different rolls with small corner pieces in between, the inner frame with 4 larger floral corner pieces and a large lozenge shaped centrepiece built up from multiple impressions of 5 different floral and animal stamps. Further with a gold-tooled spine and board edges, gilt edges, and marbled endpapers. [1], 40 ll. Full description