Gilhofer & Ranschburg (Lucerne)

(33 cm), (10) 158 pp., folding frontispiece and 57 plates (pls.1-57), text illustrations. 769 lots. List of estimates loosely inserted. Publisher’s printed wrappers. - Contains books from the library of the imperial residence of Tsar Nicolas II (Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov; 1868-1919) at Tsarskoye Selo; from the library of Albert Herzog von Sachsen-Teschen (1738-1822), founder of the Albertina; and the famous world map drawn about 1415 by Albertinus de Virga (lot 56, reproduced on frontispiece) from the collection of Albert Figdor (1843-1927). Figdor had found the map in 1911 in a bookshop in Šibenik, Croatia, and had organised a detailed study. After his death, Figdor’s collections in Vienna passed to a niece, Margarete Becker-Walz, wife of a prominent Heidelberg lawyer. Somehow, she exported the map from Austria to Switzerland, where it was presented by Gilhofer & Ranschburg with full provenance and a reserve of 9000 Swiss francs. Immediately before the sale, the map was withdrawn, and it has been missing ever since (Albert Dürst, “Die Weltkarte von Albertin de Virga von 1411 oder 1415” in Cartographica Helvetica, volume 13, 1996, pp.18-21). ¶ Unmarked copy. In good condition, apart from the wrappers (in fragmentary state: small pieces missing, corner of lower wrapper missing).