A rare early Renaissance manuscript of two of Plato’s greatest dialogues, Phaedo and Gorgias, will be sold at an online auction for an estimated $200,000.
This is the first Plato manuscript of comparable quality to be offered at the ‘Bonhams Important Manuscript’ auction in the past 50 years.
Written around 1420, the compilation of essential works begins with Plato’s arguments for the immortality of the soul from the point-of-view of Socrates’ death-bed, and includes Bruni’s influential Cicero Novus, as well as a series of important Bruni translations of Demosthenes and Aeschines.
Book and Manuscript specialist at Bonhams New York, Darren Sutherland, said such an early Renaissance manuscript of Plato is very rare today.
“Early Renaissance manuscripts of Plato are very rare. His works were essentially lost during the Middle Ages, and their rediscovery at the beginning of the Renaissance sparked a revolution in thought that transformed the arts and sciences and continues unfolding today.”
Plato is well-known for his emphasis on the importance of mathematics to philosophy, and his thought was eagerly embraced by Renaissance scientists, laying the foundation for modern understanding of number and science.
Phaedo is one of Plato’s best-known dialogues and sits alongside the philosopher’s Republic and Symposium as the master works of his middle period.
The Important Manuscript auction offers a curated collection of 10 world-class manuscripts celebrating the thinkers and ideas that have transformed the world.
Spanning 600 years of history, these manuscripts highlight critical moments in the evolution of western culture. Individually and collectively, they speak to the sensibility and needs of the modern age.
