Provenance in Pictures: Tracking the Ownership of Three Early Printed Books

Last week a group of Melbourne bibliophiles were treated to a delightful talk by preeminent bookman Nicolas Barker, editor of The Book Collector, and whose bibliography records an impressive 1,000+ entries.[1]

Barker examined twenty or so works from Special Collections and talked to the salient points of each book. This post highlights three of the selected items that had multiple signs of ownership, all of which caught Barker’s eye.

 

Johannes Meder, Quadragesimale de filio prodigo et de angeli ipsius ammonitione salubri per sermones diuisum [Basel: Michael Furter, 1495].

 

Title-page of the Quadragesimale

 

Judging by the number of inscriptions on the title-page, this copy of Meder’s Quadragesimale certainly travelled, but not very far. All of them can be localised to the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. The earliest is the inscription by Johan van Kessenich, shown above in between two other inscriptions towards the head of the title-page. Kessenich was born ca. 1522, served as steward of the Augustinian cloister of St Elisabeth in Nunhem, and died ca. 1608. The book then passed to a Wilhelm Horst, whose tidy inscription notes that he was a pastor in the town of Haelen (just 1km south of Nunhem), and came into possession of the Quadragesimale the same year as Kessenich’s approximate date of death. The last two pieces of evidence recorded on the title-page puts the book in the library of the Augustijnenkerk (Church of the Augustinians) in Maastricht, about 55km southwest of Haelen.

 

Quadragesimale binding

 

The book was bound in a contemporary style by the twentieth-century French binder Roger Devauchelle (1915-1993), who preserved the original clasp catches, the paper spine label, and presumably the pastedowns: two fragments (according to the catalogue entry) from a thirteenth-century manuscript.

 

Manuscript pastedown

 

Affixed to the front pastedown is the book label of ‘B. Couissinier’, and Devauchelle’s stamp can be found in the upper-left corner.[2]

Purchased by the Friends of the Baillieu Library with funds from the George Shaw Trust.

 

Eusebius Pamphilus, [Greek title:] Evangelicae praeparatio lib. XV … [with] Evangelicae demonstrationis lib. X. Paris: Robert Estienne, 1544-1545.

 

Signature of Rudolf Gwalther

 

The earliest sign of ownership on Estienne’s 1544 edition of Eusebius is an inscription dated just five years after its publication. It reads: ‘Sum Rodolphi Gualtheri Tigurini 1549’. The owner, Rudolf Gwalther (1519-1586), was a Reformed Protestant pastor in Zurich (‘Tigurum’) who married the daughter of Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), one of the leaders of the Reformation in Switzerland. He became head of the Zurich church upon the death of Zwingli’s successor Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575).

 

Heidegger collection inscription

 

The book can next be placed in another Zurich collection, the ‘Bibliothecae Heideggeriana’. This collection was formed by Hans Heinrich Heidegger (1711-1763), whose son, Johann Heinrich (1738-1823), continued to expand the library. A slip pasted on the front free endpaper with the date ‘1783’ written upon it suggests the Eusebius was acquired by the younger Heidegger that year. The Heideggeriana collection was sold in 1810 when Johann moved to Geneva.[3]

 

Stamp of Hachette and Co.

 

Sometime after the Heidegger sale, the Eusebius made its way to France and into the stock of the great bookshop and publishing house L. Hachette et Compagnie, whose acquisition stamp on the title-page dates to 1918.

 

E. Doheny book label

 

The volume next appeared in the library of Estelle Doheny (1875-1958), who amassed one of the great twentieth-century book collections in America. Doheny left her library, which included a volume of the Gutenberg Bible, to St John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California.[4] In her bequest, Doheny stipulated that the collection must be kept together for 25 years after her death. In 1986, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Seminary Board of Directors made the controversial decision to sell the Doheny collection. The books were auctioned by Christie’s, New York, in a series of sales held between 1987 and 1989. The Eusebius was sold to Parsons Books in the 1 February 1988 sale (lot 559).[5]

Purchased by the Ivy M. Pendlebury bequest in memory of Gerald Frederic Pendlebury.

 

De recta pronunciatione Latinae linguae dialogus. Antwerp:  Christophe Plantin, 1586.

 

Stamp of Anton Fugger dated 1586

 

This copy of Plantin’s 1586 edition of Lipsius has a long connection to families that wielded financial power. The first being the stamp of Anton Fugger dated 1586. He was a member of a wealthy German banking and merchant family, their financial prospects secured by his namesake, Anton Fugger (1493-1560), whose trade empire extended to the Americas and the West Indies, and who also held mining interests in Scandinavia.

 

Bookplate of Zacharias Geizkofler von Gailenbach

 

This beautifully engraved bookplate is the most physically impressive piece of provenance evidence found among these three books. Measuring 17 x 14 cm, the ex libris belonged to Zacharias Geizkofler von Gailenbach (1560-1617), who had his name and that of his wife, Maria (nee von Rehelingen), along with her date of birth, engraved along the central oval frame. From 1597, Geizkofler served as Reichspfennigmeister (treasurer) of the Holy Roman Empire, and as an adviser to the emperors Rudolf II (1552-1612) and Matthias (1557-1619).

 

Lipsius title page

 

The Lipsius eventually travelled to what was Austria-Hungary. There it came into the possession of the noble Magyar family, Zichy, though which family member has yet to be confirmed. The title-page is stamped with the arms and name of Count Ödön Zichy. This may refer to Count Ödön (1809-1848), a governmental administrator who was executed as a result of a court martial, or Count Ödön (1811-1894), founder of the Oriental Museum in Vienna and a great patron of art and industry.

 

Bookplate of Jan Szasz

 

The second Hungarian collector to own this book was Jan Szasz, about whom I have been able to find very little.[6] It appears, however, that Szasz might have immigrated to the Antipodes, for a number of books with his bookplate are found in Australian institutional and private libraries.

Purchased by the Ivy M. Pendlebury bequest in memory of Gerald Frederic Pendlebury.

Anthony Tedeschi (Deputy Curator, Special Collections)

—

[1] See A.S.G. Edwards, Nicolas Barker at Eighty: A List of His Publications to Mark His 80th Birthday (New Castle, DE; London: Oak Knoll Press; Bernard Quaritch Ltd., 2013).

[2] Do you recognise the ‘B. Couissinier’ bookplate? If you know who he or she was, please leave a comment or email me at Special Collections.

[3] Selecta artis typographicae monumenta e bibliotheca Heideggeriana sive Catalogus librorum seculo XV impressorum … qui pro adjectis in margine pretiis publica auctionis lege divenduntur d. 18. Jun… (Zurich, 1810)

[4] The Gutenberg Bible volume was purchased by the Maruzen Co. of Tokyo for USD $5.3m (with premium) in the 22 October 1987 sale (lot 1). It was acquired by Keio University Library in March 1996.

[5] The Estelle Doheny Collection … Part III: Printed Books and Manuscripts including Western Americana (New York: Christie, Manson & Woods, 1988) 173 (lot 559)

[6] As with the book label of M. or Mme Couissinier, I would welcome any information on this collector named Szasz.

Vale Trevor John Hart

Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Trevor Jonh Hart 14 May 2014

Trevor Hart came to the University of Melbourne Archives (UMA) in January 2001 as its Business Archivist.
Trevor was well placed to hold this position due to his previous work with the ANZ Bank: both his familiarity with the business environment of banking and his experience as an archivist were important. His career in the banking industry dated from 1958 and his love of history led him to his eventual career in archiving: he became ANZ Group Archivist from 1983 and Manager of the ANZ Bank Museum and ANZ Art Collection in 1985.

At UMA, Trevor’s management of the business collections was a large undertaking in many senses. UMA commenced collecting business records in 1960, and by 2001 they occupied almost a half of the available shelving. Records from individual companies typically measured hundreds of metres whereas records acquired from the University or the labour movement were rarely this large. Trevor’s task was to arrange and describe these records and make them available to the public as well as to acquire more business records. Within a few weeks of arriving, he commenced negotiations with Colonial Mutual about their records and commenced a project to have listed the 27 metres of Defunct Company Records from the Registrar-General’s Department deposited at UMA by the Public Record Office of Victoria.

Making records available to the public by arranging and describing them was resource intensive and demanding for a lone Business Archivist, but Trevor was soon ably joined by others. Tony Miller, also previously of ANZ Archives, commenced at UMA and assisted Trevor with business collections amongst other duties. Project archivists worked with him on larger collections.

Trevor worked with Gil Ralph, former Western Mining Company Executive and Archives Advisory Board Chair, to establish a group of business volunteers. John Dew, John Reynolds, Allan Schurmann, and Don Fairweather assisted Trevor to make or improve inventories of large business collections. Trevor’s friend, Marten Syme, came on board to list the records of the Port Fairy Solicitor, J. W. Powling & Company.

Simultaneously, Trevor worked with Michael Piggott, Archivist Jane Ellen, and Professor David Merrett, to review the UMA business archives collecting policy. The resulting publication, ‘Making archival choices for business history‘,  was published in the Australian Economic History Review 2004 44:2 185.  Its purpose was to develop a strategy for future acquisitions and re-examine existing holdings and was based on a methodology that had been devised by the business archivists at the Minnesota Historical Society, US. The new collection policy became the script from which Trevor worked to acquire business records for the remaining years of his tenure in the position.

In 2007 Trevor ceased working for UMA and returned to part-time consulting as school archivist at Camberwell Grammar School, Ruyton Girl’s School and Eltham Secondary College. Yet everywhere we look at UMA we see evidence of his dedicated and energetic work in the inventories he created and the collections he acquired. His conviviality will be remembered by those who worked with him, especially his promotion of ‘archives talk’ and Sudoku at morning tea. Farewell Trevor.

Contributor: Sue Fairbanks

Iron Rations Amongst the Archives

As ANZAC day approaches, spare a thought for soldiers who depended on ‘iron rations’ when out in the field.  The ‘Iron Ration’ was first carried by British soldiers during WW1 for use in the event of their being cut off from regular food supplies. The ration pack was generally made up of items such as preserved meat in a can, meat extract, cheese, hard biscuit, tea, sugar and salt. Adopted by many nations, iron ration packs tend to reflect the foods of those nations.

The holdings of Sir Laurence Hartnett record his activities during the 1940s as Managing Director of General Motors and his war service. The collection includes the item pictured below.

'A Military Iron Ration' Prepared by MacRobertson Pty. Ltd. Fitzroy, Victoria, January 1942, Lawrence Hartnett, 1982.0106 Box 10, University of Melbourne Archives
‘A Military Iron Ration’ Prepared by MacRobertson Pty. Ltd. Fitzroy, Victoria, January 1942, Lawrence Hartnett, 1982.0106 Box 10, University of Melbourne Archives

These instructions are for preparing the fruit component of a ‘Military Iron Ration’ in 1945 by the MacRoberstons Company.

Another item in the collection of the Archives (object 5, UOM 280) reveals what Australian soldiers carried as iron rations in 1942.  Featuring a key to open the tin, it contains 3 complete meals, meal one containing

Carrot biscuits 3 oz pkt, Fruit & nut 3 oz block, Meat & vegetable stew 4 oz tin, Peanut butter 1 ½ oz tin, Barley sugar rolls (4) 1 oz, Caramel bar ½ oz, Skim milk powder ¼ oz pkt, Sugar 2 tablets, Tea 4 tablets and Salt 2 tablets

The reverse of the tin is printed with the following statement:  “This Ration is intended for use in circumstances where normal rations cannot be supplied. This tin contains three complete meals separately wrapped in waterproof cartons. When one meal has been consumed, the remaining two meals can be carried on the person and the Tin discarded.  The contents form a completely balanced ration with ample protective (Vitamin) cover. The complete ration in the tin will keep indefinitely, and can be submerged or buried.”  The one at UMA hasn’t been opened, so we can neither confirm or deny this claim.

Contributors: Melinda Barrie & Sophie Garrett

'A.M.F Operation Ration', UOM 280, University of Melbourne Archives
‘A.M.F Operation Ration’, UOM 280, University of Melbourne Archives

 

In Search of Frank Keating

"Prell's Building" on the corner of Queen St and Flinders Lance, owned and partly occupied by Gibbs, Bright and Co. Sears Studio, late 1880s, Gibbs, Bright and Co, 1980.0115 (BWP 3325)
“Prell’s Building” on the corner of Queen St and Flinders Lance, owned and partly occupied by Gibbs, Bright and Co. Sears Studio, late 1880s, Gibbs, Bright and Co, 1980.0115 (BWP 3325)

Economic Historian Bernard Attard recently discovered some key records in the Gibbs, Bright and Co collection concerning Frank Keating’s role in the pastoral rent battle between the Queensland Labour Government and business during the 1920s. Keating was a prominent businessman of that time -partner with the merchant firm Gibbs, Bright and Co and Chairman of the Australian Pastoral Company.

The discovery of a letter series of Keating correspondence between Keating and the Sydney, Melbourne Gibbs Bright & Co office c1910-1925 provided crucial insight into continued British influence on the Australian economy and connections to the mining industry. This was a major find and Attard highlights the value of our business archives and emphasised the importance of institutional collaboration for the success of his project– specifically citing Jane Beattie, Reading Room Officer as been the ‘real explorer’ here.

The image featured above is of one of the buildings built by property developer F.W Prell, Keating was married to one of his daughters. This grand building built in 1886 and located at 7-9 Queen Street, Melbourne is an example of the Chicagoesque architectural style and featured a distinctive crown cornice. Unfortunately this building has since been demolished and the land redeveloped.

Read more about Attard’s research in the latest edition of the UMA Bulletin

Collections used in this research include:

1980.0115 Gibbs Bright & Co

1975.0089 Sir Wilfred Russell Grimwade

Text, Drawing & Print: A Portrait of Joachim von Sandrart

Together with fellow artist historians Geogio Vasari and Karel van Mander, the works of Joachim von Sandrart I (1606–1688) helped lay the foundation for the art historical philosophies in the Western tradition. Unlike Vasari’s Le Vite de’ più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architettori  (1550) and van Mander’s Het schilder-boeck (1604), Sandrart’s dictionary of art and compilation of artist biographies, the Teutsche Academie (1675-1679), differs from its predecessors in that it is sumptuously illustrated and of practical appeal.[1]

The scope of Sandrart’s publication exceeded all previous examples of art historiography, but also includes some curious interludes such as translations from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a reference to the beer produced on his wife’s family estate in Stockau, Germany, and a lengthy autobiography.

 

The Ephesian Artemis
The Ephesian Artemis from the Teutsche Academie (image from BibliOdessey blog; Melbourne UL copy currently on exhibit).

 

The red chalk drawing of Sandrart in the Baillieu Library Print Collection, which had no previous artist attribution, was identified just last year by Sandrart expert, Assistant Professor Susanne Meurer (University of Western Australia), as a self-portrait.[2] Below the drawing is an inscription written in his hand, similar in appearance to those inscriptions which appear below printed portraits. Although he was widely travelled, as the inscription indicates, Sandrart identified himself as being from Stockau, which dates the drawing to after the time of his marriage in 1637.

 

Sandrart self portrait in red chalk.
Sandrart self portrait in red chalk.

 

This drawing parallels his painted self-portrait of 1641, which likewise depicts the same bust in the background.  A close match to the drawing appears in Dr Johann Jacob Volkmann’s ‘improved’ edition of the Teutsche Academie, which portrays Sandrart’s dignified mien, along with his inscription, in the full clarity of a print.[3]

Sandrart’s output of paintings and drawings is substantial, but while he oversaw the production of many prints, he produced few of his own. In the Baillieu’s impression of Sandrart’s Cupid pissing (1640), the wretch holding a urinal for Cupid has been described as both an old man and an old woman.

 

'Cupid Pissing' (1640); etching
‘Cupid Pissing’ (1640); etching

 

Often Cupid is depicted with Venus, his mythological mother, or another strong and beautiful woman. Sandrart’s intention seems to be ambiguous or subversive rather than erotic, although it may also have been an applied one, as the composition is reminiscent of models in an artist’s studio. The grid overlaid on the print suggests that it was copied and used as a primary source. The entry for the print in the Hollstein catalogue records three separate copies have been made after the print.[4]

These works of art provide insights into the discipline of art history and that of Sandrart’s working methods and his character. The Baillieu’s copy of the Teutsche Academie, its important chalk drawing and the overlaid print, all contribute to the construction of an intriguing portrait of Joachim von Sandrart.

Kerrianne Stone (Special Collections Curatorial Assistant (Prints))

 

[1] Baillieu Library Special Collections holds early editions of all three works: the 1550 first edition Vasari; a 1618 edition of van Mander; and the first edition of Sandrart’s Teutsche Academie (1675–79, four volumes bound in two)

[2] For more on Meurer’s prior research into Sandrart, see her article “‘In Verlegung de Autoris’: Joachim von Sandrart and the Seventeenth-Century Book Market” in The Library: The Transactions of the Bibliographical Society 7:4 (Dec. 2006): 419-449

[3] Special Collections does not hold a copy of the Volkmann edition of Sandrart’s Teutsche Academie. The printed portrait, however, is reproduced in Princeton University’s Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology blog post “The ‘German Vasari’?” (accessed 7 April 2014)

[4] F. W. H. Hollstein, German engravings, etchings, and woodcuts, ca. 1400-1700 (Amsterdam: M. Hertzberger, 1954-), 40:16

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