Years 1430-1459
See also : Buddhism Early Ming Chinese porcelain Ming porcelain Dragon Chinese calligraphy Religious texts Inventions Terracotta to porcelain Books Incunabula
1430 Imperial Wisdom
2018 SOLD for HK$ 240M including premium
The calligraphy of the Sutras of Mahayana Buddhism is an act of piety welcomed for education and enlightenment. When the patron or the user is an emperor, the manuscript reaches a luxury unmatched in its class.
A gold ink on dark blue paper is sumptuous. A Lotus Sutra handwritten in 1345 CE for the education of a child emperor of Korea was sold for HK $ 31.6M including premium by Sotheby's on May 30, 2016. The lot consisted of seven big albums.
Buddhism is essential for the consolidation of the Ming dynasty. After the death of the warrior emperor Yongle, his Buddhist advisers organize a period of peace. The very short reign of the Hongxi emperor initiates the necessary reforms. His son the Xuande emperor can satisfy his artistic talents and grant to Buddhism a preference devoid from political intents.
During the fifth year of his reign, 1430 CE, Xuande commissioned an Elder of the State named Huijin to calligraphy four great Sutras. The paper is covered with dark indigo ink mixed with goat brain. This thick, brilliant and strong layer allows the gold to stay on the surface without diffusing into the paper fibers. This biological constituent is an emulsifier similar to egg white in the tempera paint.
All the four Sutras are realized. Two are kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei. The third was probably early lost in a fire after being presented to a monastery founded with Xuande's sponsorship.
Two cases containing five consecutive albums each from the Sutra of transcendent wisdom or prajnaparamita have survived. In addition to the calligraphy, the work includes illustrations in thin gold lines of Buddhist, imperial and esoteric figures including Buddhas, dragons and demons. This set will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 3, lot 101. The rest of this very long Sutra is lost.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
A gold ink on dark blue paper is sumptuous. A Lotus Sutra handwritten in 1345 CE for the education of a child emperor of Korea was sold for HK $ 31.6M including premium by Sotheby's on May 30, 2016. The lot consisted of seven big albums.
Buddhism is essential for the consolidation of the Ming dynasty. After the death of the warrior emperor Yongle, his Buddhist advisers organize a period of peace. The very short reign of the Hongxi emperor initiates the necessary reforms. His son the Xuande emperor can satisfy his artistic talents and grant to Buddhism a preference devoid from political intents.
During the fifth year of his reign, 1430 CE, Xuande commissioned an Elder of the State named Huijin to calligraphy four great Sutras. The paper is covered with dark indigo ink mixed with goat brain. This thick, brilliant and strong layer allows the gold to stay on the surface without diffusing into the paper fibers. This biological constituent is an emulsifier similar to egg white in the tempera paint.
All the four Sutras are realized. Two are kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei. The third was probably early lost in a fire after being presented to a monastery founded with Xuande's sponsorship.
Two cases containing five consecutive albums each from the Sutra of transcendent wisdom or prajnaparamita have survived. In addition to the calligraphy, the work includes illustrations in thin gold lines of Buddhist, imperial and esoteric figures including Buddhas, dragons and demons. This set will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 3, lot 101. The rest of this very long Sutra is lost.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Xuande - The Blue Fishes
2017 SOLD for HK$ 230M including premium
When the emperor himself encouraged the development of porcelain techniques, the ingenuity of the Jingdezhen potters no longer had any limits. The reign of Xuande, the fifth emperor of the Ming dynasty, is one of those golden ages with spectacular progress for blue and red under glaze.
The red is still difficult to achieve and its drawing remains limited to massive silhouettes of fish or fruit. At the same time the cobalt blue is obtained in a series of tones which enable subtle contrasts. The quality of the Xuande blue and white will never be surpassed.
The sharpness of the blue drawing becomes exceptional but the iconography remains traditional. The wall of a bowl is read like a paper ink drawing being gradually unrolled. The theme of fishes moving at mid-depth amidst the aquatic weeds of a pond is well suited to such achievements.
On April 5 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells at lot 101 a bell-shaped bowl on that theme, 23 cm in diameter, with a ultimate refinement : it is lobed in ten sections down to the base which is also lobed in the extension. The goal is an unprecedented visual effect : the unfolding of the image before the eyes gives the impression of a gentle movement of the fish.
The lobes are not new in Chinese porcelain : washers or saucers lobed for imitating a flower had been a specialty of the fabulous Ru kilns at the end of the Northern Song dynasty.
A piece as deep as that lobed fish bowl is a technical feat : no other specimen of this form and visual effect has surfaced in such a large size. Two smaller bowls were identified in an ancient inventory of the Taipei Museum. Waste from an even smaller discarded piece was found in Jingdezhen.
It is difficult to estimate the price of such a rarity that reaches the extreme limits of the technologies known under the early Ming. The press release of March 8 hopes a result beyond HK $ 100M.
The red is still difficult to achieve and its drawing remains limited to massive silhouettes of fish or fruit. At the same time the cobalt blue is obtained in a series of tones which enable subtle contrasts. The quality of the Xuande blue and white will never be surpassed.
The sharpness of the blue drawing becomes exceptional but the iconography remains traditional. The wall of a bowl is read like a paper ink drawing being gradually unrolled. The theme of fishes moving at mid-depth amidst the aquatic weeds of a pond is well suited to such achievements.
On April 5 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells at lot 101 a bell-shaped bowl on that theme, 23 cm in diameter, with a ultimate refinement : it is lobed in ten sections down to the base which is also lobed in the extension. The goal is an unprecedented visual effect : the unfolding of the image before the eyes gives the impression of a gentle movement of the fish.
The lobes are not new in Chinese porcelain : washers or saucers lobed for imitating a flower had been a specialty of the fabulous Ru kilns at the end of the Northern Song dynasty.
A piece as deep as that lobed fish bowl is a technical feat : no other specimen of this form and visual effect has surfaced in such a large size. Two smaller bowls were identified in an ancient inventory of the Taipei Museum. Waste from an even smaller discarded piece was found in Jingdezhen.
It is difficult to estimate the price of such a rarity that reaches the extreme limits of the technologies known under the early Ming. The press release of March 8 hopes a result beyond HK $ 100M.
A Xuande bowl expected to fetch US$12.8mil leads #HongKong's Chinese Works of Art sales on 5 Apr #sothebysasianart https://t.co/5ILRjKHVQh pic.twitter.com/WIhR7E11Yk
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) March 27, 2017
Ferocious Dragons for the Xuande Emperor
2016 SOLD for HK$ 158M including premium
The mastery of porcelain in the Ming dynasty is achieved in three phases : a restart to the top quality under Yongle, an approach to touching perfection under Xuande and the masterpieces for the palace of Chenghua.
The use of underglaze cobalt blue on the white porcelain had reached under the Yuan a refinement which continued under Yongle. In the reign of the Xuande emperor the chemists significantly improved this technique for shading the blue. An extreme care is taken in the homogeneity of the cobalt solution and in the control of the kiln atmosphere. The sharpness of the line is also improved.
The image of the dragon, appreciated by the Yuan, becomes popular again in the Xuande porcelain, with a fierce expression. Dark blue dragons move in an environment of lighter figures. This contrast reinforces the power of the imperial symbol.
On May 30, 2016, Christie's sold for HK $ 158M a jar 48 cm high, lot 3012 from a lower estimate of HK $ 60M. The empowered dragon deploys its undulating body throughout the circumference. It is a superb large size example of the Xuande perfection in the blue and white that will never be achieved again, even under Chenghua.
The use of underglaze cobalt blue on the white porcelain had reached under the Yuan a refinement which continued under Yongle. In the reign of the Xuande emperor the chemists significantly improved this technique for shading the blue. An extreme care is taken in the homogeneity of the cobalt solution and in the control of the kiln atmosphere. The sharpness of the line is also improved.
The image of the dragon, appreciated by the Yuan, becomes popular again in the Xuande porcelain, with a fierce expression. Dark blue dragons move in an environment of lighter figures. This contrast reinforces the power of the imperial symbol.
On May 30, 2016, Christie's sold for HK $ 158M a jar 48 cm high, lot 3012 from a lower estimate of HK $ 60M. The empowered dragon deploys its undulating body throughout the circumference. It is a superb large size example of the Xuande perfection in the blue and white that will never be achieved again, even under Chenghua.
What makes this large 15th-century 'dragon' jar so rare — and so special? https://t.co/QLNIYOqVal pic.twitter.com/3fOW2SxJrB
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 16, 2016
Once used as an umbrella stand, this Ming Dynasty 'Dragon' jar sold for over $20 million pic.twitter.com/BT3lTth3vU
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) July 22, 2016
Xuande Stembowl
2012 SOLD for HK$ 113M by Sotheby's
A Xuande stembowl 15 cm high is decorated with a pair of dragons swimming in the waves. The artist in the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen, playing with the thickness of the line, obtained several shades of blue. It was sold for HK $ 113M from a lower estimate of HK $ 50M on April 4, 2012 by Sotheby's, lot 29.
On May 31, 2016, Lyon and Turnbull in association with Freeman's sold in Hong Kong for HK $ 41.5M a stem cup 10 cm in diameter, lot 84 illustrated by a video.
On the theme of two flying dragons chasing the pearl, it is a great example of the Xuande luminosity in the blue and white that will never be achieved again, even under Chenghua. This small piece 8.7 cm high and 9.8 cm in diameter is in brilliant condition including the perfectly preserved softness of its thick and lustrous glaze.
On May 31, 2016, Lyon and Turnbull in association with Freeman's sold in Hong Kong for HK $ 41.5M a stem cup 10 cm in diameter, lot 84 illustrated by a video.
On the theme of two flying dragons chasing the pearl, it is a great example of the Xuande luminosity in the blue and white that will never be achieved again, even under Chenghua. This small piece 8.7 cm high and 9.8 cm in diameter is in brilliant condition including the perfectly preserved softness of its thick and lustrous glaze.
Xuande - The Secret of the Dragons
2019 SOLD for HK$ 75M including premium
During Xuande's reign, white porcelain is purified with an unprecedented care, creating an unalterable material. The improvement of the cobalt blue associated with a thick glaze provides to the imperial pieces the brilliance of the drawing and the tactile quality. These advances allow Jingdezhen potters to prepare new visual effects.
The realization of different hues of blue on the same piece is obtained by spreading the color like a traditional ink wash on a paper. Obtaining shades of blue by modifying the purity of cobalt will be developed half a century later for the Chenghua palace bowls.
The Chinese have always enjoyed the lithophanes. The new purity of the porcelain, associated with a thinness of the walls which does not prevent the robustness, makes it possible to incise hidden images observable only by transparency. This technique is named anhua.
A model of bowl on a tall hollow foot includes all these advances of the blue and white. These pieces about 15.5 cm in diameter are decorated on the exterior of the bowl with two dragons drawn in dark blue with a fine brush, evolving within light blue clouds. The interior includes a pair of anhua dragons that encircle the imperial mark painted in dark blue. For these bowls of very high prestige, these dragons are imperial with five fingers per leg.
These stem bowls were made in series, as it is often the case with Chinese imperial porcelain. Four of them are almost identical. A bowl was sold for HK $ 113M including premium over a lower estimate of HK $ 50M by Sotheby's on April 4, 2012. Another one will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8, lot 3606. The press release of August 28 announces an estimate in excess of HK $ 60M.
Four pieces also exist in a very close variant, of the same dimensions, recognizable by a different design of the rocks on the foot. One of them, also with the anhua, was sold for HK $ 69M including premium by Christie's on November 30, 2016. Christie's commented that the anhua is so subtle that it was missed by the catalogers in the previous sales of the same specimen.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
The realization of different hues of blue on the same piece is obtained by spreading the color like a traditional ink wash on a paper. Obtaining shades of blue by modifying the purity of cobalt will be developed half a century later for the Chenghua palace bowls.
The Chinese have always enjoyed the lithophanes. The new purity of the porcelain, associated with a thinness of the walls which does not prevent the robustness, makes it possible to incise hidden images observable only by transparency. This technique is named anhua.
A model of bowl on a tall hollow foot includes all these advances of the blue and white. These pieces about 15.5 cm in diameter are decorated on the exterior of the bowl with two dragons drawn in dark blue with a fine brush, evolving within light blue clouds. The interior includes a pair of anhua dragons that encircle the imperial mark painted in dark blue. For these bowls of very high prestige, these dragons are imperial with five fingers per leg.
These stem bowls were made in series, as it is often the case with Chinese imperial porcelain. Four of them are almost identical. A bowl was sold for HK $ 113M including premium over a lower estimate of HK $ 50M by Sotheby's on April 4, 2012. Another one will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8, lot 3606. The press release of August 28 announces an estimate in excess of HK $ 60M.
Four pieces also exist in a very close variant, of the same dimensions, recognizable by a different design of the rocks on the foot. One of them, also with the anhua, was sold for HK $ 69M including premium by Christie's on November 30, 2016. Christie's commented that the anhua is so subtle that it was missed by the catalogers in the previous sales of the same specimen.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Xuande Gilt Bronze Figure of Amitayus
2010 SOLD for HK$ 70M by Christie's
The imperial gilt bronze Buddhist figures from the early Ming dynasty achieve an unprecedented fine casting and aesthetic grace. They are more frequent in the Yongle reign due to a policy of imperial export and presentation of Buddhist sculptures to Tibet which was discontinued by the Xuande emperor.
They are very rare in large size. A 55 cm high Shakyamuni Buddha with the Yongle mark was sold for HK $ 253M by Sotheby's in 2013.
A 57 cm high figure of Amitayus with the Xuande mark was sold for HK $ 70M by Christie's on May 31, 2010, lot 1961. Amitayus is the Buddha of infinite life.
The serene deity is seated on a lotus base. The legs are crossed. The hands are joined over the lap with raised thumbs as a sign of meditation, the rounded face with eyes downcast is benevolent. His majesty is represented by the eight leaf crown and the abundant jewel chains radiating on the bare torso. Exquisite details include the hair swept back in a topknot.
This period of magnificent Buddhist art terminates in 1436 CE when overpopulating monks are expelled from the capital by a new emperor.
They are very rare in large size. A 55 cm high Shakyamuni Buddha with the Yongle mark was sold for HK $ 253M by Sotheby's in 2013.
A 57 cm high figure of Amitayus with the Xuande mark was sold for HK $ 70M by Christie's on May 31, 2010, lot 1961. Amitayus is the Buddha of infinite life.
The serene deity is seated on a lotus base. The legs are crossed. The hands are joined over the lap with raised thumbs as a sign of meditation, the rounded face with eyes downcast is benevolent. His majesty is represented by the eight leaf crown and the abundant jewel chains radiating on the bare torso. Exquisite details include the hair swept back in a topknot.
This period of magnificent Buddhist art terminates in 1436 CE when overpopulating monks are expelled from the capital by a new emperor.
Xuande - Buddhism in Jingdezhen
2017 SOLD for HK$ 51M including premium
The Hongwu and Yongle Emperors established the Ming Dynasty by overcoming many difficulties. With the Xuande Emperor, Yongle's grandson, peace and prosperity enjoyed a lasting return.
The Jingdezhen porcelain was often used under Yongle as a diplomatic gift. Xuande sees it as a source of extreme refinement for his own use and the number of pieces bearing his mark is important. The mastery of the cobalt preparations allows subtle shades of blue on white that will never be equaled.
The Xuande potters try complex shapes inspired by gold or silver models. A bell shaped bowl with ten lobes for enhancing the visual effect of a fish scene was sold for HK $ 230M including premium by Sotheby's on April 5, 2017.
The emperors govern according to the principles of Confucianism but also protect the Tibetan Buddhism of which they acknowledge the mystical vision. The use of Buddhist themes in the Jingdezhen blue and white ware is essentially limited to the Xuande period. Two high quality Buddhist porcelains bearing his imperial mark will be sold by Sotheby's on October 3 in Hong Kong.
Lot 3301 estimated HK $ 35M is a bowl 18 cm in diameter whose flared shape is very elegant. It retains its cover, which is a rarity because the pots were so equipped only if they were designed for some ritual uses. The cover copies in an exact face to face the decoration of the bowl, a circle of eight lotus flowers all of them surmounted by one of the eight symbols constituting the Buddhist bajixiang. The imperial mark under the cover is an exquisite surprise when the eunuch opens the bowl. The transparent glaze is unctuous.
Lot 101 estimated HK $ 30M is an ovoid jar 19 cm high decorated with two dragons inspired by the Indian makara type which usually ensures the protection of a temple. This illustration is highly rare in the Ming porcelain.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM :
Bowl : SOLD for HK$ 51M
Jar : SOLD for HK$ 35.5M
The Jingdezhen porcelain was often used under Yongle as a diplomatic gift. Xuande sees it as a source of extreme refinement for his own use and the number of pieces bearing his mark is important. The mastery of the cobalt preparations allows subtle shades of blue on white that will never be equaled.
The Xuande potters try complex shapes inspired by gold or silver models. A bell shaped bowl with ten lobes for enhancing the visual effect of a fish scene was sold for HK $ 230M including premium by Sotheby's on April 5, 2017.
The emperors govern according to the principles of Confucianism but also protect the Tibetan Buddhism of which they acknowledge the mystical vision. The use of Buddhist themes in the Jingdezhen blue and white ware is essentially limited to the Xuande period. Two high quality Buddhist porcelains bearing his imperial mark will be sold by Sotheby's on October 3 in Hong Kong.
Lot 3301 estimated HK $ 35M is a bowl 18 cm in diameter whose flared shape is very elegant. It retains its cover, which is a rarity because the pots were so equipped only if they were designed for some ritual uses. The cover copies in an exact face to face the decoration of the bowl, a circle of eight lotus flowers all of them surmounted by one of the eight symbols constituting the Buddhist bajixiang. The imperial mark under the cover is an exquisite surprise when the eunuch opens the bowl. The transparent glaze is unctuous.
Lot 101 estimated HK $ 30M is an ovoid jar 19 cm high decorated with two dragons inspired by the Indian makara type which usually ensures the protection of a temple. This illustration is highly rare in the Ming porcelain.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM :
Bowl : SOLD for HK$ 51M
Jar : SOLD for HK$ 35.5M
#AuctionUpdate Xuande covered bowl painted in cobalt blue with Buddhist lotus-and-emblem design sells for HK$51.3m/US$6.6m #HongKong pic.twitter.com/co2UYHL6Rm
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) October 3, 2017
Xuande - Mastering the Red
2014 SOLD for HK$ 44M including premium
Unlike the cobalt blue that was applied to ceramics from immemorial time throughout Asia, the copper red had a difficult development. This highly expressive color tempted however the potters of Jingdezhen at the beginning of the Ming dynasty.
Under Hongwu and still under Yongle the rate of failed red pieces remains considerable. The splendid Hongwu dish sold for HK $ 41M including premium at Sotheby's on April 7, 2011 is an extraordinary exception.
The mastery of underglazed red was finally reached underXuande, who reigned 580 years ago. Far from the graphic sharpness of the Hongwu dish, the artists tested their new skills with massive silhouettes of fish or fruit.
On October 8 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a stemcup 9 cm high and 10 cm in diameter, lot 3001 estimated HK $ 40M. Three red fishes, one clockwise and two counter clock, adorn the outside wall and the imperial Xuande blue mark is inside.
Another almost identical specimen was sold for HK $ 15.2 million including premium by the same auction house before the renewed interest of the Chinese market for such masterpieces. It was on April 10, 2006.
Half a century before Chenghua, these Xuande stemcups anticipate the exquisite shape and tactile quality that will bring a matchless reputation to the Ming porcelains.
Under Hongwu and still under Yongle the rate of failed red pieces remains considerable. The splendid Hongwu dish sold for HK $ 41M including premium at Sotheby's on April 7, 2011 is an extraordinary exception.
The mastery of underglazed red was finally reached underXuande, who reigned 580 years ago. Far from the graphic sharpness of the Hongwu dish, the artists tested their new skills with massive silhouettes of fish or fruit.
On October 8 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a stemcup 9 cm high and 10 cm in diameter, lot 3001 estimated HK $ 40M. Three red fishes, one clockwise and two counter clock, adorn the outside wall and the imperial Xuande blue mark is inside.
Another almost identical specimen was sold for HK $ 15.2 million including premium by the same auction house before the renewed interest of the Chinese market for such masterpieces. It was on April 10, 2006.
Half a century before Chenghua, these Xuande stemcups anticipate the exquisite shape and tactile quality that will bring a matchless reputation to the Ming porcelains.
Terracotta Group of Virgin and Child
2008 SOLD for $ 5.6M including premium by Sotheby's
narrated in 2021
It seems established that the use of terracotta for Florentine devotional figures was developed as a secondary activity of Ghiberti's very important workshop. Donatello had been an assistant to Ghiberti and it is tempting to attribute to him the most expressive works.
Three high reliefs in painted terracotta of the Virgin and Child have some features in common although the scenes are different. The Child is energetic and authoritarian. The loving and thoughtful Mother seeks more to protect him from dangers than to maintain empathy. The clothes are the subject of a rich polychromy mixed with gilding.
These pigmented reliefs are not similar to the glazed terracotta supplied by the della Robbias for private devotion. They are original artworks of which no period copy has been identified. Two of them have an early Florentine provenance. If Donatello is their author, they were produced in his last Florentine period, after 1450.
The Virgin and Child in front of a curtain, 102 x 74 cm, is preserved in the Louvre. The Virgin and Child with four Cherubs, 100 x 70 x 20 cm, preserved in the Bode Museum in Berlin, lost its polychromy in a war fire.
The other image, 86 x 68 cm, is unusual in its composition and strong expressions, including the presence in the background of two hilarious cherubs. The polychromy has been well preserved despite some overpainting. Considered as an authentic Donatello work by Pope-Hennessy, it was sold by Sotheby's on January 24, 2008 for $ 5.6M including premium from a lower estimate of $ 2M, lot 75. It is illustrated in the auction report shared by Artnet.
Three high reliefs in painted terracotta of the Virgin and Child have some features in common although the scenes are different. The Child is energetic and authoritarian. The loving and thoughtful Mother seeks more to protect him from dangers than to maintain empathy. The clothes are the subject of a rich polychromy mixed with gilding.
These pigmented reliefs are not similar to the glazed terracotta supplied by the della Robbias for private devotion. They are original artworks of which no period copy has been identified. Two of them have an early Florentine provenance. If Donatello is their author, they were produced in his last Florentine period, after 1450.
The Virgin and Child in front of a curtain, 102 x 74 cm, is preserved in the Louvre. The Virgin and Child with four Cherubs, 100 x 70 x 20 cm, preserved in the Bode Museum in Berlin, lost its polychromy in a war fire.
The other image, 86 x 68 cm, is unusual in its composition and strong expressions, including the presence in the background of two hilarious cherubs. The polychromy has been well preserved despite some overpainting. Considered as an authentic Donatello work by Pope-Hennessy, it was sold by Sotheby's on January 24, 2008 for $ 5.6M including premium from a lower estimate of $ 2M, lot 75. It is illustrated in the auction report shared by Artnet.
1455 Gutenberg Bible
1987 SOLD for $ 5.4M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
The 42-line Bible is the first book printed in Europe with the movable type technique in a printing press, developed by Gutenberg in Mainz from 1450. The first edition is available in 1455. Gutenberg goes bankrupt in 1456 after the justice court decided that the investment should be returned to Fust.
The work is divided into two volumes, respectively covering the Old and New Testaments in the Latin text of the Vulgate, with a total of 1,282 pages 42 x 30 cm in double folio format printed on both sides. Printing is done in black ink in two columns per page. The typography imitates handwriting. The color decoration and rubrication are not printed but a guide could be provided to the purchaser.
The original edition produced under the supervision of Gutenberg is estimated at 150 copies on paper plus 30 copies on vellum. 21 complete copies have survived, plus 13 limited to one of the two volumes and another 15 with several missing leaves.
On April 7, 1978, Christie's sold for $ 2.2M including premium a copy on paper, completed since the only missing leaf had been supplied in 1953 by a specialist bookseller. This almost perfect copy is currently kept at the Stuttgart State Library.
On October 22, 1987, Christie's sold for $ 5.4M including premium a Volume I on paper, clean and fresh in its original Mainz binding. This book is currently kept at a private university in Japan.
The work is divided into two volumes, respectively covering the Old and New Testaments in the Latin text of the Vulgate, with a total of 1,282 pages 42 x 30 cm in double folio format printed on both sides. Printing is done in black ink in two columns per page. The typography imitates handwriting. The color decoration and rubrication are not printed but a guide could be provided to the purchaser.
The original edition produced under the supervision of Gutenberg is estimated at 150 copies on paper plus 30 copies on vellum. 21 complete copies have survived, plus 13 limited to one of the two volumes and another 15 with several missing leaves.
On April 7, 1978, Christie's sold for $ 2.2M including premium a copy on paper, completed since the only missing leaf had been supplied in 1953 by a specialist bookseller. This almost perfect copy is currently kept at the Stuttgart State Library.
On October 22, 1987, Christie's sold for $ 5.4M including premium a Volume I on paper, clean and fresh in its original Mainz binding. This book is currently kept at a private university in Japan.
