400 year old ‘Friendship book’ sold for $3.1 million USD
- 82newsbulletin
- Sep 16, 2020
- 2 min read
Written by Colin Wu
Image Source: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/image/sz.1.5009636/1280x720?v=1598366804&format=webp
If you have ever got your friends to sign your yearbook back in high school, this might strike a chord with you.
Just a few weeks ago Sotheby’s sold a 400 year old ‘Stammbuch’ or ‘Album Amicorum’ - which translates quite loosely from Latin as ‘Friends Collection’ - for $3.1 million USD from a private collector. It was procured by the Herzog August Bibliothek or Herzog August Library. This particular Stammbuch contains intricate illustrations by court artists of royal families, manuscripts, and handwritten entries/signatures by numerous politically important personalities of the early 17th century; Roman Emperors, King of Denmark and Norway just to title-drop. Originally started by a wealthy merchant from Augsburg, Germany called Philipp Hainhofer, the entries start from 1596 until 1633.
The Stammbuch contains 227 pages. Entries consist of personal sentences or poems in different languages, including German, French, Latin, and Italian. In addition, it is usually accompanied with a decorative leaf. Hainhofer often had the entries illustrated with pictures by renowned artists such as Joseph Heintz and Jacopo Ligozzi. Accordingly, the album contains richly decorated pages with drawings in the Baroque style. The illustrations include floral patterns, including tulips, which were new and precious in Europe at the time. The craft of the actual book itself is also an aspect to admire with lace binding that is made from purple velvet. Hainhofer also originally had screw fastening to allow pages to be interchangeable. Due to these aspects of the Stammbuch, it is not only valuable but also considered an incredible piece of art by many.
This concept of documenting genealogical or social ancestry was present in early modern period Europe where one ‘archives’ intellectual and emotional connection with the people you meet. Specifically in the 1530s, students of Wittenberg University used such books to ensure their relationship with one another by exchanging signatures, dedications and sayings. Furthering its use, entries of famous reformers, well-known scholars, and anyone within the elite came to serve as evidence of social or intellectual rank. This practice and the use of Stammbuch/friendship collections continued to spread throughout different social classes and academic circles until the early 19th century.
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