Lumbye at full gallop

A number of original autograph notes by H.C. Lumbye (1810-1874), the internationally renowned 19th century Danish composer of dances, are set to go under the hammer at the book auction on 3 September. It is also an opportunity for you to acquire the composer’s conductor’s baton and his violin. From 1843, Lumbye was orchestra leader at the Tivoli Concert Hall, and over the next 30 years, he wrote nearly 700 dances, above all polkas, waltzes and gallops, including Champagne Galop from 1845, which over the years became synonymous with his name. The manuscripts up for auction include Tivolis Geburtstags Galop (Tivoli’s birthday gallop) from 1844.

Composer correspondence

One of Lumbye’s peers, Niels W. Gade (1817-1890), is also represented at the auction with an autograph musical greeting in the German Pauline Plätzer’s charming album. In addition to Gade, who was one of the most dominant figures of the 19th century Danish music scene, the book contains a variety of greetings from German composers of that day, including A.E. Marschner and J.A. Josephson. A collection of ten original autograph letters by the composer Carl Nielsen to the songwriter Hans Hartvig Seedorff is also up for auction.

Rare 16th century emblem book

At this auction, we are offering a masterpiece within the emblem books genre, Gilles Corrozet’s Hecatomgraphie from 1543. Emblem books were a popular genre in the 16th and 17th centuries, containing illustrative woodcuts with an accompanying, often moralising, text that is crucial to the understanding of the illustration. Today, the books are coveted collectibles, in part because they are considered a unique source for understanding the social code, philosophy and conceptual view of the period. The work up for auction is one of the earliest works within the genre, and richly illustrated with 100 emblems carved out of wood.

Hand-coloured incunable from 1496

Another illustrated masterpiece at the auction is one of the most beautiful medieval herbals, Johann de Cube’s famous work Gart der Gesundheit, printed in Augsburg in 1496 by Johann Schönsperger. The work is in great demand among collectors, and the hand-coloured version only rarely makes an appearance at auction.

Among the highlights when it comes to maps is a complete copy of English cartographer Thomas Jefferys’ rare and magnificent atlas Atlas des Indes Occidentales from 1777. The atlas contains 39 copperplate engraved maps and nautical charts.

Preview and auction
The preview of the book auction takes place at our premises at Baltikavej 10 in Nordhavn, Copenhagen, from 10 am–5 pm on Monday 2 September to 10 am–5 pm on Tuesday 3 September. The hammers of the online auction fall at bruun-rasmussen.dk on Tuesday 3 September from 6 pm.

View the book auction lots