Ferdinand Columbus : Renaissance Collector (1488 - 1539)

The British Museum Press, London, first English-language edition, 2005. Laminated pictorial wrappers, 4to,. 256 pp, numerous ills (some colour). 110 entries. From the blurb - "Ferdinand Columbus (1488-1530), son of Christopher Columbus and author of the first published account of a voyage to the New World, was also without doubt the greatest bibliophile and print collector of his day. At the time of his death his library contained over 15,000 volumes and more than 3,200 prints. Although the prints have disappeared, a detailed inventory survives in the Biblioteca Colombina in Seville and this has made it possible to reconstruct part of Columbus s unique collection. This beautifully illustrated book catalogues 110 of the most important prints in the collection. Most of these are very rare: many survive as unique impressions. All the major Renaissance artists working in the medium are represented, including Hans Burgkmair, Ligo da Carpi, Albrecht Durer, Lucas van Leyden, Giovanni Battista Palumba and Marcantonio Raimondi. The introductory chapters discuss Columbus's life and work and show how the reconstruction of his collection has radically transformed our understanding of the printmaking industry in Renaissance Europe." Contents include: Director's Preface; Introduction: The Print Collection of Ferdinand Columbus; 1 Prinlmaking and Print Collecting in the Renaissance; 2 The Life and Work of Ferdinand Columbus; 3 The Print Inventory, its Systems of Classification and Rebuilding the Collection; 4 The Physical Life of the Print Collection and Ferdinand's Universal Library; Catalogue; Note to the Reader; Bibliography; List of Works in the Catalogue; Index. Very Good.