Sale 2468 - Early Printed, Medical, Scientific & Travel Books, March 8, 2018

36 c (BINDING FORGERY.) Scapecchi, Corrado, attributed to. Pair of panel paintings in imitation of SieneseTavolette di Biccherna, executed in tempera on wood,with center vignette of noble giving money to 4 men on front panel and large coat of arms on rear panel, both surrounded by ornate gilt pastework and painted floral decoration with repetitions of small coat of arms in corners. Each approximately 491x350 mm; panels slightly warped with mostly minor edgewear,small shallow rectangular recess cut into center of outer edges to suggest missing catch and clasp, similar recesses along inner edges on verso for nonexistent straps to connect the panels, vertical crack in rear panel. Formerly the property of Captain Umberto G. Bellini della Stella, sold as lot 185 in the sale of his art collection at Metropolitan Art and Auction Galleries, 10-11 May 1923, with cuttings from the sale catalogue mounted on the back of the panels. [Np, early 1900s or before?] [800/1,200] Scapecchi (1869-1940?) began his career as an assistant to the Sienese master art forger Icilio Federico Joni (1865-1946), whose productions included fanciful recreations of Tavolette di Biccherna, the painted wooden covers on the medieval municipal account books of Siena. Emigrating to the United States in the early 1900s, Scapecchi established his own studio in New York and became known for imitations of Italian primitive painting and furniture decoration. The elaborate relief decoration on these panels is characteristic of his work. 37 c BRY, THEODOR DE; and BRY, JOHANN THEODOR DE. Nova alphati effictio. [27] leaves, comprising engraved title within ornate historiated cartouche; 2 leaves of letterpress dedicatory and prefatory verse; and 24 full-page engravings of bizarrely decorated letters of the alphabet with thematically-related Latin and German verse on facing pages. Folio, 293x200 mm, 19th-century mottled sheep gilt, spine and cover edges quite worn, front joint cracked, cords intact; contents washed with residual toning, title and leaves with engravings of letters T and V trimmed to rule border and inlaid to size, scattered marginal restoration not affecting images or text, few faded marginalia. Frankfurt am Main, 1595 [1,500/2,500] first edition of an ornamental alphabet book showing capital letters extravagantly embellished with biblical and allegorical figures and a variety of flora, fauna, and decorative motifs. Berlin Katalog 5281. 36