Description:

Marcantonio Colonna, Battle of Lepanto Hero, Rare ALS With Military Content

A 1p autograph letter in Italian boldly signed by Marcantonio Colonna (1535-1584), Duke of Tagliacozzo and Paliano, as "Marcantonio Colonna" at center. October 22, 1582. Rome, present day Italy. On watermarked bifold paper, with an elaborate blind-embossed seal still adhered with red wax to the last page. The inner pages are blank and there is an integral address leaf. Expected wear including flattened folds, toning, and isolated holes, the largest which corresponds to the first page in the area around the seal. Else very good to near fine. 8.375" x 11.625." The document remains untranslated but has been summarized, and is accompanied by a former catalog description.

Marcantonio Colonna autographed material is scarce, and this letter features Colonna's full signature. In this missive, Colonna mentions a company captain named Ottavio Iperanza, "four or five days," and future movements around "Civita Vecchia" [Civitavecchia, located some 100 km northwest of Rome.] October 1582 marked the 11th anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto (October 7, 1571) in which naval officer Marcantonio Colonna had played a significant role.

The Battle of Lepanto took place in the Gulf of Patras and involved an estimated 400 warships; it was the largest naval battle since Classical Antiquity. Combatants were the Holy League, comprised of the Spanish Empire and its Italian city-state allies; and the Ottoman Turks, who had been venturing further westward into Mediterranean waters. At the battle, Marcantonio Colonna was commanding a papal flagship when he saw an allied flagship being overrun with Turks. Colonna directed a triumphant counter-attack which decimated the Turkish raiders and provided a tremendous boost to Holy League morale. In acknowledgement of his heroism, Colonna was appointed Captain General of the Roman Catholic Church. In the decade following the Battle of Lepanto, Colonna received more political recognition; he served as the Viceroy of Sicily from 1577 until his death in 1584.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

September 6, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000