Art Ancient

L’Art Ancien was founded in 1920 in Lugano, Switzerland, by Dr Erwin Rosenthal (1889-1981), and was initially linked to the firm of his father, Jacques Rosenthal, in Munich; in 1935 it became fully autonomous. From 1941 until 1958 Erwin Rosenthal lived in the United States and the firm was managed successively by Arthur Spaeth (1835-1937), Alfred Frauendorfer (1937-1971), and Felix Rosenthal (1971-1983), a son of Erwin Rosenthal. Their characters and preferences shaped the firm’s stock: an initial concentration on incunabula and early printed books, medicine and science, gave way to drawings and prints of the 15th-20th centuries (notably ornament prints), then to Art Nouveau and fine printing. During the 63 years of its existence (1920-1983), the firm issued 72 catalogues and about 200 lists and bulletins, and conducted 22 auction sales in association with Haus der Bücher (Basel) and Kornfeld & Klipstein (Bern).

From https://www.robinhalwas.com/006000-l-art-ancien-stock-catalogues accessed 9/20/18 MP.