Rare Cicero Manuscript by Sanvito to Auction at Pandolfini
Pandolfini Casa d’Aste will auction a rare illuminated manuscript of Cicero's De Oratore, created by Renaissance scribe Bartolomeo Sanvito, on May 14 in Milan. Estimated at €200,000–300,000, it is the last signed Sanvito manuscript in private hands. The manuscript features an architectural inlay binding reproduced in Tammaro De Marinis's work on Italian bookbinding. Sanvito worked for patrons including Pope Sixtus IV, Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga, and the Medici. The manuscript was commissioned by Ludovico Andreasi, later owned by Baron Horace de Landau, and exhibited at Palazzo Pitti in 1922.
Key facts
- Pandolfini Casa d’Aste auctions a rare manuscript of Cicero's De Oratore on May 14 in Milan.
- The manuscript is a calligraphic work by Renaissance scribe Bartolomeo Sanvito (1435–c.1511).
- Estimate: €200,000–300,000.
- It is the last signed Sanvito manuscript in private hands.
- Binding features architectural inlay, reproduced in Tammaro De Marinis's 'La legatura artistica in Italia nei secoli XV e XVI'.
- Manuscript is dated and signed with Sanvito's initials at the colophon.
- Sanvito worked for Pope Sixtus IV, Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga, Cardinal Raffaele Riario, Giovanni d'Aragona, King Matthias Corvinus, Giuliano and Lorenzo de' Medici, and Bernardo Bembo.
- Commissioned by Ludovico Andreasi, later owned by Baron Horace de Landau and Madame Hugo Finaly.
- Exhibited at Palazzo Pitti in 1922 in a show on artistic bookbinding.
Entities
Artists
- Bartolomeo Sanvito
- Marco Tullio Cicerone
- Tammaro De Marinis
Institutions
- Pandolfini Casa d’Aste
- Banca Rothschild
- Palazzo Pitti
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Firenze
- Florence
- Ungheria
Sources
- Artslife —