the Album Amicorum

?NEW YORK.? On June 27 and 28, Christie?s New York will sell an extraordinary single-owner collection: The History of the Book: The Cornelius J. Hauck Collection. Formed between 1945 and 1965, this unique ensemble features over 700 lots and documents the history of the book around the world. The sale offers remarkable examples of the book in all forms including Babylonian cuneiform tablets, Greek papyri fragments, Persian and Asian manuscripts, European medieval manuscripts, Hebrew manuscripts, fine bindings of all periods, and an interesting group of book-related curiosities. . . . The collection is expected to realize in excess of $4,500,000.

The breathtaking top lot of the sale is the Album Amicorum?Das Grosse Stammbuch of Philip Hainhofer, an illuminated manuscript on vellum and paper in German, Italian, Latin and French, 1596-1633 (estimate: $600,000-800,000). This renowned ?Book of Friendship? is a monument to the princes of Europe and court art. Brought together by Philipp Hainhofer (1578-1647), an internationally influential figure who was employed by the European princes as an art advisor and political agent, the Grosses Stammbuch contains signatures and coats of arms of princely persons, paintings and drawings and an ensemble of lavishly illustrated ?natural history? pages which are strikingly meticulous, delicate and elegant.?

?artdaily.com. Who?s got a few mil?