Portrait of Sappho of Lesbos

A$150 · Offered by Douglas Stewart Fine Books

Sapho Lesbienne Poetrice (caption). Copperplate engraving measuring 170 x 140 mm (image); 370 x 230 mm (sheet), letterpress in French surrounding the image, extracted from André Thevet s Les Vrais pourtraits et vies des hommes illustres grecz, latins et payens (Paris, 1584). A fine example of Thevet s iconic representation of the classical Greek poet Sappho ( Σαπφώ) c. 630 – c. 570 BC. As indicated in the title, the word lesbian is an allusion to Sappho, originating from the name of the island of Lesbos, where she was born. A Franciscan priest, explorer, cosmographer and writer, André Thevet travelled to the New World in the sixteenth century and published a notable account of his time there. His series of biographies Les Vrais pourtraits et vies des hommes was his last published work.

• Binding: Hardcover

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