Plate from Adolf Friedreich Kunike’s Two hundred and sixty-four Danube views following the course of the Danube sold for £13,000 at Forum.
This sequence of 264 lithographs was issued in three editions (1820, 1824 and 1826) by Austrian lithographer, illustrator and publisher Adolf Friedreich Kunike (1777-1838).
The commission to produce the drawings for Kunike’s prints was initially undertaken by Rudolf Alt but he resigned the post half-way through the journey, fearful of the dangers inherent in the later reaches of the Danube as it entered the Ottoman Empire. Instead, the intrepid Ludwig Erminy completed the sketches.
Forum could not find another complete hand-coloured set that had appeared at auction and this was reflected in the price. Estimated at £3000-5000, it hammered for £13,000.
This was the fourth tranche of Norman Bobins’ splendid library of colour plate books offered at auction since Christie’s New York held the first sale in June 2023.
