Bidspirit auction | Víctor Gebhardt

Víctor Gebhardt - Los Dioses: Grecia y Roma - Víctor Gebhardt, 1880-1881. Published between 1880 and 1881, this is one of the most luxurious and prestigious works of the 19th century on classical mythology, part of the celebrated ”Illustrated Library” of the Spanish publisher Espasa y Compañia. This monumental edition comprises two volumes in large folio format, constituting a visual and academic reference on the Greco-Roman pantheon. Volume I: 11 + 709 pages | Volume II: 895 pages. The work is remarkable for its artistic richness, containing hundreds of high-quality black and white engravings and chromolithographs illustrating mythological episodes, divine figures, and classical scenes, reflecting the aesthetics and editorial rigor of the time. It features an elegant and robust period publisher's binding in half-leather, with a spine decorated with gilded tooling and details, giving the work a noble and classic appearance. The binding style harmonizes with the grandeur of the folio format. This copy stands out for its uniqueness in the collector's market. The volume contains an Ex-Libris and a collector's mark, attesting to its provenance and the care taken in its preservation over the decades. The presence of these ownership marks is highly valued in period editions, transforming the copy into a piece with a bibliophile history and pedigree.