Extraordinary Artistic Achievement Breaks Records

  • A rare copy of William Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and of Experience’ sells for $4.3M at Sotheby’s auction
  • Only six copies printed during Blake’s lifetime still in private hands
  • Book features innovative etching and printing method
  • First owned by Blake’s friend Charles Augustus Tulk

A rare copy of William Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and of Experience’ sold for a record-breaking $4.3 million at Sotheby’s auction in New York. The book, which was expected to fetch up to $1.8 million, is one of only six printed during the poet’s lifetime still in private hands. Its rarity, innovative etching and printing method, and connection to literary greats like Samuel Taylor Coleridge contributed to its high price.

Factuality Level: 10
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate information about the rare book’s background, its rarity, and the auction results. It also includes quotes from experts in the field to support the high price paid for it. The article is focused on the main topic without any digressions or irrelevant details.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides information about a rare book by William Blake that sold for a high price at an auction, but it doesn’t offer much in terms of analysis or insight beyond the basic details of the event. It does not explore the broader implications of the sale or the significance of the work itself, nor does it delve into the artist’s life or impact on literature and art.
Public Companies: Sotheby’s (N/A)
Private Companies: Luxury Catalogs
Key People: Selby Kiffer (Sotheby’s international senior specialist for books and manuscripts), Stephan Loewentheil (Owner of Luxury Catalogs)

Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Sotheby’s
Financial Rating Justification: The sale of a rare book by William Blake at Sotheby’s auction house for $4.3 million impacts the financial markets and the company as it sets a world record and affects their revenue.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: Other
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event in the text.

Reported publicly: www.barrons.com