Luis de Granada, Segundo volumen del memorial de la vida Christiana, Antwerp, 1572, Roman morocco gilt for G.F. Madruzzo
Auction Closed
July 11, 03:42 PM GMT
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
LUIS DE GRANADA. Segundo volumen del memorial de la vida Christiana. Antwerp: Christophe Plantin, 1572
A RICHLY GOLD-TOOLED BINDING FOR GIAN FEDERICO MADRUZZO, WITH AN INSCRIPTION IN HIS HAND.
Over a collecting lifetime of around thirty years, Gian Federico Madruzzo (1531?-1586) patronised binders in Paris, Rome, northern Italy, and Lyon. The son of Nicolò Madruzzo (1507?-1572), commander of the imperial army, and Hélène de Lamberg, Gian Federico belonged to a family of great renown. Between 1552 and 1556, he and his brother were incarcerated following a naval battle in Ponza, spending a significant period in the tower of the Château de Vincennes outside Paris. It is here that his interest in fine bindings seems to have developed, and he continued to commission fine bindings until his death in 1586.
Five works by Luis de Granada (1504-1588) are often brought together as the Obras espirituales or Obras completas, published in 14 volumes by Plantin at Antwerp in 1572. Sold together, the five works included Memorial de la vida christiana, itself in two parts and five volumes; the present lot is only part of the second volume of this text. Gian Federico Madruzzo' son's post-mortem inventory has three separate entries for Memorial de la vida christiana; it is likely that this volume is one of them. This copy features an inscription in Madruzzo's hand, recording the vigil for St Francis of Assisi which took place on 3 October 1585, the day preceding his Feast day.
Further Madruzzo bindings include Bibliotheca Brookeriana I, 11 October 2023, lot 12 (Berosus), Bibliotheca Brookeriana IV, 18 October 2024, lot 956 (Manuzio), and Bibliotheca Brookeriana V, lots 1064 (Cicero), 1114 (Herodianus Syrus), 1149 (Lucanus), 1183 (Prudentius Clemens), 1204 (Silius Italicus), 1210 (Tauler), 1219 (Thriveris) and 1222 (Titelmans).
First section of the second volume only (of 14 volumes), 12mo (164 x 99 mm). Roman type, 20 lines plus headline. collation: A-Z8 2a-2f8 (final verso blank; A2 missigned as A3): 232 leaves. Woodcut printer's device on title-page, woodcut initials. (Some browning and dampstaining, wormhole to lower margin from upper endleaves to G1, occasionally affecting catchwords.)
binding: Contemporary brown Roman morocco (168 x 105 mm), double gilt fillets around sides and at interior of border frame containing arabesque roll, large azured leaf at each corner, Madruzzo's arms in centre within 3 concentric ovals, spine with 4 full bands, 3-line title in top compartment, arabesque tooling in others, stubs from 2 pairs of ties, edges gilt. (Lower cover corners and spine ends defective, a few small wormholes to boards and top compartment of spine, joints starting, lacking ties.)
provenance: Gian Federico Madruzzo (1531?-1586), arms on binding and inscription “15 & 85.3.octob. Vig. S. Francisci, D.P.M.” to upper pastedown, probably by descent to—Cardinal Carlo Gaudenzio Madruzzo (1562–1629)—Maurice Burrus (1882-1959), by repute—Thierry de Maigret, Paris, 27 November 2013, lot 47. acquisition: Purchased at the preceding sale. references: USTC 430268 (part of entry); Voet 1608 IIIb (part)