Philipp Hainhofer’s seventeenth-century “friendship book” has just sold for a whopping $3.1 million. The “friendship book”, essentially a Renaissance scrapbook in which the diplomat collected signatures, was finally sold to the Herzog August Bibliothek. The German collection was named for its originator, Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, who in fact, wanted to buy the book when he was alive back in 1648.
According to ArtNet.com,
Both an art dealer and a diplomat, Hainhofer provided luxury goods to courts throughout Europe over a period of 50 years. During his travels, he asked the crowned head of Europe to add a page to his Das Große Stammbuch, also known as an Album Amicorum. The friendship book contains about 100 signatures from powerful rulers, each accompanied by colorful illustrations commissioned from court artists by royal dignitaries.
Among the signatures in the book are Cosimo de’Medici, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, and Frederick V.
image via WikiData
Now rumour has it, after hearing about this lavish deal, Penguin Random House is looking to acquire all the old friendship books in Europe.
Featured Image via Wikipedia