Apr 16, 2026 10:00 EST
Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
20
A Renaissance historian illustrates ancient funerals
Property sold to benefit Albertus Magnus High School
PORACCHI, THOMASO
Funerali antichi di diuersi Popoli, et Nationi. Venetia: [Simon Galignani], 1574. First edition. Contemporary limp vellum, 10 1/4 x 8 inches (26 x 20.5 cm). Collation: 4°: a4A–O4. [8], 109, [3] pp., engraved title page and engravings within the text. Binding worn and soiled with some worming to the covers. Title page with libary stamp. Slightly foxed internally, with some thumbsoiling. Early owner's intermittent but interesting annotations and doodles throughout.
An interesting copy of Thomaso Poracchi's famous book of ancient funeral rites. Through the form of a dialogue between the author and two fictional counts, Poracchi details the funerary customs of the Romans, Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, and others. This dialogue is accompanied by Girolamo Porro's detailed and absorbing illustrations. The directors for the funeral of Cosimo I de' Medici modeled the elaborate ceremony in part after Poracchi's account of the cremation rites used for Augustus in the first century. This book's early owner took particular interest in Egyptian pyramids and the Vestal Virgins. The same owner also doodled in the margins, producing two charming copies of elements of the book's decoration.
Sold for $576
Estimated at $400 - $600
Includes Buyer's Premium
Property sold to benefit Albertus Magnus High School
PORACCHI, THOMASO
Funerali antichi di diuersi Popoli, et Nationi. Venetia: [Simon Galignani], 1574. First edition. Contemporary limp vellum, 10 1/4 x 8 inches (26 x 20.5 cm). Collation: 4°: a4A–O4. [8], 109, [3] pp., engraved title page and engravings within the text. Binding worn and soiled with some worming to the covers. Title page with libary stamp. Slightly foxed internally, with some thumbsoiling. Early owner's intermittent but interesting annotations and doodles throughout.
An interesting copy of Thomaso Poracchi's famous book of ancient funeral rites. Through the form of a dialogue between the author and two fictional counts, Poracchi details the funerary customs of the Romans, Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, and others. This dialogue is accompanied by Girolamo Porro's detailed and absorbing illustrations. The directors for the funeral of Cosimo I de' Medici modeled the elaborate ceremony in part after Poracchi's account of the cremation rites used for Augustus in the first century. This book's early owner took particular interest in Egyptian pyramids and the Vestal Virgins. The same owner also doodled in the margins, producing two charming copies of elements of the book's decoration.
Auction: Rare Books, Autographs & Maps, Apr 16, 2026
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Successful Auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 Surpasses Expectations
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Thomas Jefferson Letter Commenting on Toussaint Louverture Achieves $32,000
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Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions
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We Invite You to Contact Us for Complimentary Auction Estimates of Your Collection
NEW YORK, NY – Doyle's auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 saw international competition drive strong results throughout the sale and a total that surpassed expectations.
Thomas Jefferson Letter on Toussaint Louverture
Highlighting the sale was a fascinating 1802 letter from Thomas Jefferson as president to Maryland Governor John Francis Mercer that achieved a strong $32,000. The remarkable letter captures a rare, candid moment in which Jefferson assesses, with striking clarity, the arrest of Toussaint Louverture, a leader of the Haitian Revolution, by French General Charles LeClerc, Napoleon’s brother-in-law. Jefferson perceptively warned that LeClerc’s actions would erode trust and likely spark further racial conflict—an insight that proved remarkably accurate. Beyond its sharp political foresight, the letter reflects the broader anxiety the Haitian Revolution provoked in the United States, which contributed to decades of diplomatic isolation of Haiti.
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Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for complimentary auction estimates. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
