Sold For $1,000
*Includes Buyers Premium
Uncommon 3.5 x 4 bookplate created for Albert Einstein by graphic artist Erich Büttner in 1917, showing a man standing on a precipice amidst the cosmos. Below, the text reads: "Ex Libris, Albert Einstein." The bookplate carries Büttner's facsimile signature inherent to the print. In fine condition.
Erich Büttner (1898–1936) was a renowned painter, graphic artist, and bookplate artist in Berlin in the early 20th century. He studied there from 1906 to 1911 at the teaching institution of the School of Arts and Crafts under Emil Orlik, among others. During World War I, he worked as a cartographer, where he met Eugen Spiro. In 1915, Büttner was the editor of the literary magazine Bimini. He was a member of the Berlin Secession and closely connected to the urban art scene. In 1917, Büttner was commissioned to create a portrait of Albert Einstein—the first portrayal of the genius by a notable artist.
In 1917, Albert Einstein introduced the cosmological constant into his general theory of relativity to create a static universe, and published his landmark paper, 'Cosmological Considerations in the General Theory of Relativity.'
