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April 26, 2010

A 16th CENTURY BIBLE related to George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax

A MAGNIFICENT SIGNED ARMORIAL BINDING BY HERING

The Bible:

Pierre de Saint-André; François Estienne; William T Smedley. Biblia Sacra veteris et noui testamenti : iuxta vulgatam editionem maiori quàm antehac vnquam doctorum studio. Geneuae : Apud Petrum Santandreanum, 1583. A reissue, with a different title page, of an edition of François Estienne, Geneva, 1567. The title page of the New Testament bears the imprint: Ex Officina Francisci Stephanii, 1567. Signatures: *8a-z8A-2H82I4(2I4 blank) 2A-2R8 2S4. Includes indexes. Description: [8], 435, [1], [113] leaves, 1 leaf of plates : ill. (woodcuts), 2 maps ; 8vo. COMPLETE. Occasional staining, some browning, but overall a VERY FINE COMPLETE COPY. PROVENANCE: Likely George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax (who formed the original library at Old Rufford Abbey) with Old Rufford Abbey bookplate. Rufford Abbey is an estate in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England. In 1626, the house was sold to Sir George Savile, and later inhabited by his descendant, the Marquess of Halifax. This copy bears, in fact, the 17th century ownership inscription of John Savile 1666, presumably Sir JOHN SAVILE, 6th Bart., who succeeded to the Thornhill and other estates on the death of his cousin, the 2d Marquis of Halifax. Beautiful signed armorial binding by Hering, bound between 1815 and 1845 when the famous bookbindery was located at 9 Newman St. Charles Hering bound many books for the Prince Regent, George IV, following the style of Roger Payne, binder to George III   [$2500]

March 24, 2010

Rare First Edition, and interleaved copy, of ‘The Splendour of the Ancient City’

The Book:

Lauro, Giacomo. Antiquae urbis splendor, hoc est praecipua ejusdem templa, amphitheatra, theatra, circi … aliaque sumptuosiora aedificia … opera et industria Jacobi Lauri, … in aes incisa atque in lucem edita. Addita est brevis Pusedam … imaginum explicatio, in que regnum, consulum, imperatorumque res gestae et rei romanae origo, … ostenditur. Romae, 1612-1615. 3 Parts in 1 Vol. (A fourth part, devoted to modern Rome, was issued in 1628 with a reprint of the other parts). Oblong Folio, 30 x 23 cm., Contemporary gilt-ruled vellum, front board stiff with slight warping, partial separation of inner textblock form binding, 19th century spine label. 115 plates, not including title, dedications of the 3 parts, Portraits of Sigismund, King of Poland; Emmanuel, Duke of Savoy; and Ranuzio Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza; [1 blank], [4], [4] [115] ff. Interleaved copy with 17th century French manuscript descriptive and explanatory notes, carefully hinged to page preceding each plate. Condition: Some slight browning and spotting, but overall a Very Good copy of the First Edition with the beautiful plates, still unnumbered (first state), in fine impressions.

One of the most influential and beautiful works on the monuments and antiquities of Ancient Rome, the ‘Antiquae urbis splendor’ (‘The splendour of the ancient city’) served as an important reference book and source of inspiration for many writers and artists, both Italian as well as those on the early Grand Tour. The interesting mid-17th century French interleaved notes present in the copy, could have been recorded ( for example only), by an resident Classicist artist in the circle of Nicolas Poussin for later use as a reference. Further research could make a more definitive attribution.
[Sold]

March 24, 2010

HIGHLY IMPORTANT ISLAMIC INFLUENCED VEGETAL BLINDTAMPED BINDING

PRINTED 1489: ONE OF THE EARLIEST ENCYCLOPEDIC TEXTS

The Incunable:
Alexander, of Hales; Giovanni Antonio Beretta; Francesco Girardenghi . Prima pars Alex. de ales. [Summa universae theologiae.] Papie. : Per Joa[n]nemantonium de birretis ac Fra[n]ciscum gyrardenghum., M.cccc.lxxxix. Die. xi. Iulij. Colophon, pt. 1: Per Joa[n]nemantonium de birretis ac Fra[n]ciscum gyrardenghum. Papie. M.cccc.lxxxix.Die. xi. Iulij , 1489),. 22 x 16 cm., small 4to., 223 lvs.,; mimor worming affecting last few leaves., COMPLETE PART I of the SUMMA. Islamic Vegetal tools and Medieval Zoomorphic tooled Blindstamped German Pigskin binding, with Italian-Islamic influence. Light bumping to top of spine, slight peeling to lower right hinge of spine, but overall a VERY GOOD UNRESTORED AND RARE CONTEMPORARY BINDING. Provenance: Private collection for over 50 years (not offered at auction); Price 950 DM c. mid 1950s.

This collected work by Alexander Hales (d. 1245), represents one of the first encyclopedic texts, in part concerned with divine and natural law. The work follows in the tradition of the famous Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (seventh century), and was not doubt written in response the rise of Universities which ignited the passion for such encyclopedic works. Examples of other such encylopedic ‘Summae,’ include various Commentaries of Peter Lombard, the Master of Sentences, as well as works by Ricardus Rufus, St. Thomas, Albertus, Pliny etc.

The Pigskin binding is a Very Rare and Important Example of Islamic-style vegetal patterns on a blind-tooled binding, which drew motifs from “existing traditions of Byzantine culture in the eastern Mediterranean and Sasanian Iran.” Such Islamic style blindstamping preceded the importation of other Gold-tooling techniques from the Islamic world.

One can see parallel stylistic examples in wood of the “beveled style—a symmetrical abstract floral motif” at this link

February 7, 2010

The first work to give formal expression to the notion of an “English Empire”

PRINTED 1685: COMPLETE WITH BOTH MAPS AND THE PLATES

B[URTON], R[obert]. The English Empire in America: Or a Prospect of His Majesties Dominions in the West-Indies. Namely, Newfoundland New-England New-York Pennsylvania New-Jersey Maryland Virginia Carolina Bermuda’s Barbuda Anguilla Montserrat Dominica St. Vincent Antego Mevis, Or Nevis S. Christophers Barbadoes Jamaica With an account of the Discovery, Situation, Product, and other Excellencies of these Countries. To which is prefixed a Relation of the first Discovery of the New World called America, by the Spaniards. And of the Remarkable Voyages of several English-men to divers places therein. London: Printed for Nath. Crouch, 1685. 12mo., 15cm x 8.5 cm., with publisher’s advertisements on last leaf, engraved frontispiece map depicting Newfoundland to Florida, engraved plates of “the Caribee Islands,” and two showing “Strange Creatures in America” (armadillo’s, alligators, etc.). Map of east coast of North America from Maine to Georgia, with ill. Old Calf boards, heavily worn as depicted, boards broken, flyleaf and t.p. loose but present, some browning and chipping, minor loss to front map as depicted, COMPLETE. Old 1909 Bookseller’s label pasted to inner front board for the 1698 edition for the high price $15.00, and noted as “excessively rare.” Ref: Howes B1034; Sabin 9499.   $5500

This work, by R.B., the pseudonym of Nathaniel Crouch, was the first work to give formal expression to the notion of an “Empire”; understood to be the assertion of dominion over foreign places and people, the introduction of whites and slaves, and the creation and maintenance of settlements as well as trade monopolies. It advanced an economic notion of the American Dominions as being an important economic entity, in the national interest to cherish, nurture, protect, and defend, and therefore did much to raise the importance of the colonies in the English consciousness. [Ref: William Roger Louis, Alaine M. Low, Nicholas P. Canny., The Oxford History of the British Empire]    

The work includes fascinating passages from the Indian Captivity of Quentin Stockwell to the founding of New York. A copy of the the famous map was exhibited by the NYPL in “American Shores”.

January 6, 2010

PRINTED 1478: THE GREAT MEDIEVAL FRANCISCAN TEXT

A Very Rare, Early Incunable and an Unusual Uncut Copy

The Incunable:

[Marchesinus, Johannes ] Mammotrectus super Bibliam. Venice : Franciscus Renner, de Heilbronn, and Petrus de Bartua, 1478. 260 ff., the first blank (later) plus vellum rear blank; 4to., 234 x 172 mm., some occasional minor browning and spotting, but overall a complete, fine, and very pleasing copy. A HIGHLY UNUSUAL UNCUT and UNSOPHITICATED COPY, ENTIRELY UNRUBRICATED AND WITH EXCEEDINGLY LARGE MARGINS, whose sheets likely lain in quires and were never bound before receiving their present 19th century binding of boards and calf with raised bands. Late 15th century blotted inscription to lower margin of a1: “hic liber pertinet ad loci sancti Laurentii de Bibiena, in banco sexto in latere dextro,” stating the precise location of the text in what appears to have been the Library of the Convent housing the Minor Franciscan friars of San Lorenzo in Bibiena, Italy. A medieval manuscript in the Walters Art Museum bears a similar inscription.

“Compiled by a thirteenth-century Franciscan at Reggio, near Modena, the Mammotrectus is a manual for the lower clergy with short entries explaining difficult terms and concepts encountered in the Bible. The homely metaphor of the title refers to the “maternal milk,” or nourishment, offered by this text. Its early popularity did not survive the Reformation; already in May of 1515, Erasmus of Rotterdam had criticized those priests who still depended upon the Mammotrectus. ” {reF; “http://smu.edu/bridwell/specialcollections/schoeffer/mammotrectus.htm”]. The first book from the press of Franciscus Renner de Heilbronn is dated 1471 which might indicate when the German printer began printing in Venice. From 1473 to 1477 he worked in partnership with Nicolaus de Frankfordia, the period under which this work was issued.