Sales catalogue 55: Martin Breslauer

Date:: 1942

Reference:: WA/HMM/CM/Sal/27/7

Credit: Sales catalogue 55: Martin Breslauer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

8/60 page 4

$16 17 18 19 20 MARTIN BRESLAUER. Catalogue No. 55 \ A VOLUME OF RARE PARIS IMPRINTS, CONTAINING AN UNRECORDED WOODCUT TO THE 1498 EDITION OF THE IMITATION OF CHRIST, IMITATIO CHRISTI. Liber primus (secundus, tertius, quartus) Johannis Gerson Cancellarii Parisiensis De Imitatione Christi et de Contemptu omnium Vanitatum Mundi. Paris, Pierre Le Dru, 1498. Sm. 8vo. Gothic letter, 32 lines to a page, 96 leaves, 3-line initials, initial strokes, paragraph marks and underlinings rubricated. Large woodcut representing the Crucifixion, on A.1, beneath the title ‘‘ De Imitatione Christi.”’ Unknown to Hain. Copinger, who describes it under No. 3235, wrongly assumes that Al is blank. The woodcut is delicately heightened in red by the rubricator. British Museum 4404 aa.S., Dijon p. 69, No. 2041, Brunet III, 413, No. 14, St. Geneviéve, 1123, De Backer, 49. See Plate No. II. Bound up with : BONAVENTURA, S. Stimulus divini amoris. Paris, Francois Regnault (after 1500). Gothic letter, 99 leaves, with Regnault’s mark (Sylvestre No. 369) on title and woodcut arms on A.2. AUGUSTINUS, Meditationes beati Augustini.—Anselm of Canterbury, Meditatio de terrore iudicii. No Date or Place (Paris, Philippe Pigouchet, ca. 1499): Gothic letter, 18 leaves, paragraph marks, initial strokes and underlinings supplied in red by the rubricator. With 2 woodcuts, one on the title, the second on the last page. The above edition appears to be identical with Gesamtkatalog 2983 which describes the only known copy in the Godehardkirche, Hildesheim. However, signature b is described as containing only 6 ll., but it appears that the copy described by the Gesamtkatalog is incomplete and’ the above copy the only complete one extant. The Meditationes are an extract from Anselm of Canterbury’s Proslogion. See Plate No. II. AUGUSTINUS, Sermones ad heremitas. Paris, Jean Petit, 1503. With Petit’s mark on title. Gothic letter, 2 columns, 33 lines to a page, 112 leaves. This edition appears to be a page for page reprint of the edition of 1500, Paris, A. Chappiel for Claude Jaumar. (Ges.-Kat. 3008) Petit’s mark as Sylvestre No. 25. LOTHARIUS, DIACONUS (INNOCENTIUS II. PAPA) Liber de vilitate conditionis humanae. (De Miseria humanae conditionis). Paris, Pierre Le Dru for Jean Petit, N.D. (soon after 1500). Gothic letter, 31 lines to a page, 36 leaves. Petit’s first mark on title. Lotharius dei Conti, 1160-1216. The work was extremely popular during the middle ages. With Petit’s first mark, as reproduced by Claudin, but the variant described by him, containing the name in Gothic letters. The page before the last is occupied by a short paragraph “‘ De proprietatibus Romanorum,”’ in order to fill the last leaf which is otherwise blank. DOZOLI, LAURENTIUS, AND JACQUES BUYER. Repetitio capituli: Quum Marthae (Decretal. III 41, 6). Tractatus corporis christi quomodo sacerdotes se debeant habere erga eucaristiam consecrandam. Paris, Jean Lambert, after 1500. Gothic letter, 2 columns, 32 lines to a page, Lambert’s mark on title, rubricated. This tract was written as a dissertation by Jacques Buyer, the Lyons publisher, under the authority of Laurentius Dozoli (Dosoli), professor at the University of Valence where he taught from ca. 1450 to 1480. The above edition is listed by Pellechet (4442), but the Gesamtkatalog mentions it as being printed after 1500, judging by the printer’s mark and address. Six volumes bound in one, 12mo., early 19th century red morocco, back blind tooled, joints skilfully repaired (C. Smith). £80 A very remarkable volume of rare tracts, particularly valuable on account of the Pierre le Dru’s edition of the Imitatio Christi, complete with the unrecorded woodcut, and Philippe Pigouchet’s imprint of the Meditationes of Augustinus. Of particular interest is also the Liber de vilitate conditionis humanae. LACTANTIUS FIRMIANUS. De Dominice Resurrectionis die venustissimum Carmen. Paris, Olivier Sénant, 1504 “‘ Calculo Romano.’’ With his large printer’s mark on title, representing two arbalisters aiming at a bird of paradise seated in the crown of a tree, and surrounded by the motto: “‘ En ce mond faut bien tirer Qui en paradis veut monter. Olivier Senant.”’ £7 10s. A rare and interesting printer’s mark of unusual design. (Sylvestre No. 430). Sénant is known to have worked for 6 years only, 1505-1511, and the date of 1504 at the end of our pamphlet seems to be the earliest and up to now unrecorded product of his press. The device is quoted by Chassan & Taussin, Dictionn. des Devises, Sup. I, 139. See Plate No. IV. MARULLUS, MICHAEL TARCHONIOTA. Hymni et Epigrammata. Florence, Societas Colubris (Compagnia del Drago), 1497. Roman and Greek letters, 25-26 lines to a page, 96 ll., 4to., vellum gilt. £11 Hain 10880, Proctor 6415, Brit. Mus. Cat. VI, 691. Editio princeps and the first book of the two which are certainly known to have been printed by the Colubrian Society ; several words are printed in Greek type. The letters in which the book is printed are almost the same as that used by Miscomini. Scarce with the Errata, at the end, after the Colophon ; Hain only gives 92 leaves. PONTANUS, J. J. Ad Lucium Franciscum filium, Meteorum Liber. Paris, Jean Roigny, 1540. 4to. With woodcut device on title-page, a detailed representation of a printing- office : a printer in the act of taking an impression, behind him an assistant, on the right two compositors (one of them a woman) ; on the press inscription ‘‘ Prelum Ascensianum.”’ Old calf gilt. £3 10s. An early pictorial representation of a printer’s office, a rare variant of J. Badius Ascensius’ third device, used by his son-in-law J. Roigny who worked from 1529-65, unrecorded by Renouard and F Madan, Early Representations of the Printing Press (Bibliographica I). Badius’ third device is about the fifth independent representation of a printing-press and was repeatedly copied by other printers, with certain variations. It depicts for the first time a woman compositor, as H. W. Davies (Devices of Early Printers) suggests, Badius’ daughter, Jeanne, Roigny’s wife. The above device differs from the usual design used by Roigny (No. 8 in Madan’s list) in having a double-line border, lacking a lorraine cross as signature, etc. Davies reproduces this interesting variant on page 681. Last blank leaf wanting. STROZZA, TITUS VESPASIANUS. Oratio ad Innocentium VIII. (Rome, Eucharius Silber, after June 28th, 1485). Roman letter, 34 lines to a page, 4 ll. 4to. Hf. vellum, red mor: label on front cover. £4$

Sales catalogue 55: Martin Breslauer

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