Illustrated Wonders

A rigorously assembled selection of antiquarian books documenting the visual culture of the early modern period.

Atlante monumentale del Basso e dell'Alto Egitto

Atlante monumentale del Basso e dell'Alto Egitto

Segato, Girolamo; Valeriani, Domenico

Atlante monumentale del Basso e dell'Alto Egitto

1837

45 hand-colored plates for over 300 images of ancient Egypt in large folio format

¥1,462,200 JPY

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Libri de piscibus marinis. (With:) Universae aquatilium Historiae pars altera

Libri de piscibus marinis. (With:) Universae aquatilium Historiae pars altera

Rondelet, Guillaume

Libri de piscibus marinis. (With:) Universae aquatilium Historiae pars altera

1554

First Edition

Over 400 woodcuts for one of the foundational books of modern ichthyology

¥1,355,200 JPY

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Fabulae centum ex antiquis auctoribus delectae

Fabulae centum ex antiquis auctoribus delectae

Faerno, Gabriele

Fabulae centum ex antiquis auctoribus delectae

1564

First Edition, Second Issue

One hundred Aesopian fables illustrated by Du Pérac after Ligorio: classical antiquity reimagined for Counter-Reformation education

¥927,300 JPY

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Nuova racolta di fontane

Nuova racolta di fontane

Maggi, Giovanni

Nuova racolta di fontane

1645

First Edition

45 plates of water architecture of 16-century Rome

¥401,300 JPY

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Symbolicarum quaestionum de universo genere

Symbolicarum quaestionum de universo genere

Bocchi, Achille

Symbolicarum quaestionum de universo genere

1574

Second Edition

The best of Renaissance thinking in 151 emblems, with Parmigianino and Agostino Carracci’s marks on the plates.

¥374,500 JPY

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Cento favole morali

Cento favole morali

Verdizotti, Giovanni Mario

Cento favole morali

1577

Third Edition

Illustrated fables by a pupil of Titian: 100+ woodcuts reveal an unexpected facet of Renaissance artistic brilliance.

¥606,300 JPY

Sale price ¥606,300 JPY Regular price
Les décorations murales de Pompéi; with Choix des plus belles et intéressantes peintures de Pompéi

Les décorations murales de Pompéi; with Choix des plus belles et intéressantes peintures de Pompéi

Presuhn, Émile

Les décorations murales de Pompéi; with Choix des plus belles et intéressantes peintures de Pompéi

1878

First Edition

An archaeological masterpiece: 65 chromolithographs preserving Pompeii's vanished frescoes.

¥392,300 JPY

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Le Cabinet de la Bibliotheque de Sainte Genevieve

Le Cabinet de la Bibliotheque de Sainte Genevieve

Du Molinet, Claude

Le Cabinet de la Bibliotheque de Sainte Genevieve

1692

First Edition

Forty-five plates to document one of the first museums and libraries, still shimmering with Baroque wunderkammer flair.

¥1,034,300 JPY

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East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon. Old Tales From The North

East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon. Old Tales From The North

Asbjørnsen, Peter Christen; Moe, Jørgen Engebretsen

East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon. Old Tales From The North

1920

A luminous blend of Norwegian folklore and jewel-like, sinuous Art Nouveau plates.

¥103,500 JPY

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Cursus Theologicus

Cursus Theologicus

Gervasius Brisacensis

Cursus Theologicus

1706

Early 18th-century vellum binding with curious provenance.

¥44,600 JPY

Sale price ¥44,600 JPY Regular price

Illustrated Wonders

This collection features foundational emblem books, isolarii, and artistic treatises distinguished by exceptional woodcuts and copperplate engravings. From the rigorous geometry of Renaissance proportion to the elaborate allegories of humanist thought, these volumes trace the evolution of the illustrated book. A curatorial view of how early printings deployed visual marvels to map the world, codify art, and explore the limits of human imagination.