Bibliophile reprint of Seibertz's Book of Beauty presented to Jan Stretti-Zamponi no. 11 of 30

SEIBERTZ, Engelbert.

SEIBERTZ, Engelbert. Book of Beauty. Phrenologisch-physiognomische Skizzen in den gräfl. Thun'schen Abendgesellschaften im Winter 1842–1843 gesammelt und dem Grafen Franz Thun gewidmet [Book of Beauty: Phrenological and Physiognomic Sketches from Count Thun's Evening Gatherings, Winter 1842–1843]. Prague, 1928. 8vo. Contemporary full blind-ruled leather, hand-sewn on raised cords. Fine condition. One of only 30 numbered copies printed for private distribution and never offered for sale, this being No. 11, presented in December 1928 to the Czech painter and printmaker Jan Stretti-Zamponi.

Edited by Láďa Ehrlich and Ota Lebenhart. A remarkably scarce bibliophile edition reproducing Engelbert Seibertz's 1847 "Book of Beauty," a celebrated album of thirty-seven caricatures depicting the artists, architects, musicians, scientists, writers, and patrons who gathered at the famed artistic salons hosted by Count Franz Thun in Prague during the winter of 1842–1843.

Far more than a simple reprint, this luxurious private edition opens with an extensive scholarly introduction recounting the history of the original album, preserved in the estate of Josef Mánes. The editors reproduce contemporary reminiscences describing Thun's celebrated evening gatherings in his Malá Strana palace, where painters, architects, musicians, writers, and members of the Bohemian nobility met to discuss art, music, literature, and current cultural affairs. Thun was remembered by participants as the "father of painters," an unusually generous patron who encouraged young artists, introduced them to influential circles, and helped elevate the social standing of Czech artists.The thirty-seven caricatures portray many of the leading figures of Prague's artistic and intellectual life, including Josef Mánes, Antonín Machek, Ludwig Förster, Christian Ruben, Bernard Bolzano, August Corda, and numerous other prominent members of the Prague cultural milieu. The introduction further records that Mánes himself annotated the original album with humorous pencilled remarks identifying many of the sitters. An especially desirable association copy, presented to the distinguished Czech landscape painter and printmaker Jan Stretti-Zamponi (1882–1959), providing an appropriate artistic provenance for one of the rarest twentieth-century editions devoted to the circle surrounding Josef Mánes. A beautifully produced private-press publication of exceptional rarity.

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