The Providence Athenaeum copy of John James Audubon’s The Birds of America, sold to benefit the endowment fund, was purchased by an American private collector at Christie’s on December 15 for $5,616,000. The total sale of fine printed books and manuscripts totaled $10.6 million and was 85 percent sold by lot and 95 percent sold by value.

Francis Wahlgren, head of the books and manuscripts department, commented, “The sale showed an extremely strong performance with record prices and high results in all areas of book and manuscript collecting. In particular, the John James Audubon works attracted intense bidding, culminating in the solid price achieved for the Providence Athenaeum copy of The Birds of America.”

The importance of the Providence Athenaeum’s copy of The Birds of America is multilayered. Not only was it a complete set of Audubon’s much coveted masterwork, which in itself is already a rarity, it also came with an impeccable provenance, being offered by the original institution that subscribed to the series in Audubon’s lifetime. A second and very vivid and direct connection between the Providence Athenaeum copy and Audubon himself is found in the artist’s own journals where in the entry of August 10, 1840, he refers to a visit he made to the Providence Athenaeum.

Another rare and valuable feature was the unbound state of the Providence Athenaeum’s copy. The original 435 hand colored, etched and aquatinted plates are loose sheets and appear in exactly the same way they were initially published. The set was originally ordered from Audubon as unbound sheets to allow for greater display possibilities. The sheets retain their monumental dimensions – the so-called double elephant broad sheet size – insisted upon by Audubon in order to be able to recreate the birds of North America in life size.

John James Audubon, The Birds of America, plate 26, “Carolina Parrot.”

Rounding out the sale’s top ten lots were John James Audubon,The Birds of America, from original drawings by John JamesAudubon, reissued by John Woodhouse Audubon, New York, Roe Lockwood& Son, 1860, $284,800; John Gould and Richard Bowdler Sharpe,A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds,London, (1849-) 1861, $156,000; Andrew J. Russell, The GreatWest Illustrated in a Series of Photographic Views Across theContinent, New York, 1869, first edition, $156,000; John JamesAudubon, The Birds of America, New York: (1839-) 1840-1844,the first Octavo edition, $132,000, world auction record for anoctavo edition of J.J. Audubon’s Birds.

Also, Thomas Loraine McKenney and James Hall, History of the Indian Tribes of North America, Philadelphia, 1842-1844, first edition, $96,000; William Sylvanus Starring and J.K. Hyer, Lahcotah, Dictionary of the Sioux Language, Fort Laramie, Dakota (present day Wyoming), 1866, $84,000; Thomas Jefferson, autograph letter signed to James Maury, Esq in Liverpool, England, Monticello, 16 June 1815, $84,000; Charles Marshall, manuscript document, Lt Colonel Charles Marshall’s draft of General Order No. 9., Appomattox, Va., 10 April 1865, $84,000; and Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, Pars secunda (Strassburg: Johann Mentelin, before Advent 1463), $78,000.

Prices reported include buyer’s premium. For information, 212-636-2000 or www.Christies.com.