Historical auction catalogues from the Zeri Library
Creator (Person)
Custodian
Abstract
The collection consists of printed sales catalogues published between 1871 and 1930, produced by auction houses of 11 different nationalities. This is the most valuable part of the Zeri Library's catalogue collection, which comprises a total of 37,000 items. The catalogues offer a broad and varied overview of the history of the art market at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Zeri used them daily as essential sources for analysing the attribution and conservation history of works of art, and often annotated them with comments or references to photographs in his archive.
Description
The volumes are divided by auction house nationality and sorted by sale date. This detailed classification, characteristic of all Zeri's collections, allows for quick retrieval and easy management by operators and users. Often published by the auction houses themselves, the catalogues are written in five different languages and may contain plates and illustrations reproducing, in whole or in part, the items auctioned. Inside, they feature a characteristic division into lots corresponding to the units of sale, each identified by an identification number and accompanied by a more or less analytical description.
History
Federico Zeri began collecting auction catalogues in the 1940s and continued until his death in 1998. The volumes were purchased on the antiques market or received as gifts from other scholars and collectors. When they entered his library, they were placed in the correct sequence within the complex classification system. In 1999, the catalogues arrived in Bologna, together with the other documentary resources donated by Zeri, and became part of a comprehensive archive management and conservation project.
Access Condition
CC-BY
