In the Czesian-Rakovice Palace, a collection library has been opened, which brings together the rarest books, princeps editions or luxurious volumes with holographic signatures of famous authors, as well as signed or dedicated vintage photographs, which are put up for auction during the week.

The last known photograph of the national poet Mihai Eminescu, taken after a cliché by Jean Bilig in Botoşani, is being auctioned at a starting price of €900. The work was written two years before the poet’s death at the insistence of his sister Aglaia, who came from Chernivtsi to Botosani, where Eminescu was also ill, in the house of another sister, Henrietta, who took care of him. The photograph suited the imagination of the era when Eminescu was considered an exemplary romantic philosopher, lost in madness and suffering, showing himself with a withered, tired, terminally ill figure. On the back of the photograph is a holographic note written in red ink, probably written by the literary critic Şerban Çoculescu, which reconstructs the history of the photograph. This unique copy emphasizes not only the literary value of the play, but also the point of view of an elite critic on this classic of Romanian literature. Of the national poet Mihai Eminescu, we have only four authentic photographs left by experts (taken by photographers Jan Tomasz in Prague in 1869, Franz Dušek in Bucharest in 1878, Nestor Hek in Iași in 1884 and Jean Belig in Botosani in 1887-1888 ). ). Last year, a very rare copy of this photo by Mihai Eminescu, made after a cliché by Jean Bilig, was sold at Casa Artmark for €6,000.

Another rare photograph that will be auctioned on July 5 is a photograph of the poet Vasyl Alexandri, taken by the most important photographer of Yass, Nestor Hek, with the poet’s signature and dedication. The specimen was produced around 1880, and the lower part shows a holographic dedication by the poet to a family of French friends. The extraordinary rarity has a starting price of 700 euros and comes from the collection of literary critic Sherban Cioculeescu, and Vasyl Aleksandra’s signature and dedication give the work a unique character. An original photo of writer and playwright Eugene Ionescu comes from the same collection of Şerban Çoculescu, which is being auctioned at a starting price of 150 euros. The work was made in Paris in 1968 and is accompanied on the back by a holographic dedication by Eugène Ionescu to the famous literary critic.

As part of the “Important Books” auction, in particular, selected ones from the collection of the literary critic Sherban Ciculescu, a series of vintage editions of Princeps with signatures of famous writers will also be put up for sale. “Ancuței Inn” with the holographic signature of Mykhailo Sadovyanu will be put up for auction at a starting price of 100 euros. The Princeps edition contains numerous interventions in the text made by the literary critic Şerban Çoculescu, his work sheet and some memories recorded on the last page of the book published in 1928. The princeps edition of the novel “Baltagul” comes from the same author and from the same collection, the starting price of which at the auction is only 75 euros. “Poor Ioannid” by George Calinescu with bookplate has a starting price of 100 euros. The volume is accompanied by a drawing and author’s dedication to Şerban Chokulescu.

Among the nearly 300 exhibits in the collection, bibliophiles have access to the luxurious specimen no. 23/26 of Kamil Petrescu’s novel “Procust’s Spoon”. The limited edition has a starting price of 150 euros and is a dedication of the author to Şerban Çoculescu, from whose collection it comes. At the price of 200 euros, another rarity will be put up for auction – Lucian Blaga’s “Trilogy of Knowledge” from the collection of Vania Gerginescu. The Princeps edition has a holographic signature of the author and the dedication: “The only copy, to the only Lady.”

Among the special rarities is the original edition of “Poems” by Mihai Eminescu. The collector’s item has a starting price of 800 euros and is part of the famous edition, the first in chronological order, of the works of the national poet, edited by Titus Mayorescu, the leader of Unimia, of which Eminescu was a member. Titu Maiorescu rescued the poet’s scattered manuscripts and published this edition in the Socec publishing house in Bucharest, opening a long way of critical perception of Eminescu’s work. Literary critic Sherban Cioculescu purchased a copy and added it to his bibliophile collection, and on the last white page at the end he wrote a holographic reference to the volume, dated and signed. The copy includes a heliogravure portrait of Eminescu and a foreword published by Titu Mayorescu.

On Wednesday, July 5, at 7:00 p.m., the “Important Books Auction, including Selected Books from the Collection of Literary Scholar Şerban Choculescu” will take place, and until then they are on display at the Cesianu-Rakovice Palace, where they can be admired and viewed for free from Monday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to: 00 to 20:00.

Article supported by A10 by Artmark