Vegetius, De re militari, Paris, 1515, brown morocco with oxidised tooling
Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
VEGETIUS RENATUS, FLAVIUS. Flavius Vegetius vir illustris de re militari. Sextus Julius Frontinus vir consularis de re militari. Aelianus de instruendis aciebus. Modesti Libellus de vocabulis rei militaris. Paris: Berthold Rembolt for Jean Petit, (14 May; 8 June 1515)
A volume of military tracts by classical writers, which were first printed together in 1487. The editor was Guy Breslay, whose preface is addressed to Louis de Bourbon, and this was THE FIRST EDITION TO BE PRINTED OUTSIDE ITALY.
The watermark is similar, but not identical to, Briquet 11159 (Genoa, 1483), but the binding also has stylistic elements which may correspond to Spain.
4to (200 x 140 mm). Roman type with headlines in gothic, 40 lines plus headline. collation: A6 a-d8 e6 f-h8 i10 k-l8 m6: 98 leaves. Title printed in red and black with woodcut printer's device, woodcut initials, typographical diagrams, early marginal annotations slightly trimmed at fore-edge. (Marginal dampstaining to a few leaves, small hole to inner margin from A1-a6, small rust holes to b3, slightly affecting text.)
binding: Plausibly contemporary brown morocco over pasteboards (205 x 147 mm), possibly Spain or Genoa, tooled in silver or low-grade gold (now oxidised), frame formed by single fillet and filled by repeated cornucopia, inner frame formed by single fillet, mitred to corners, fleuron in corners, in centre 2 lozenges arranged vertically, surrounded by leaves, rosettes and small pomegranates, spine with 4 bands, stubs from 2 pairs of ties, edges gilt and gauffered to a pattern of saltires and dots. (Binding somewhat stained and scraped, with old repairs to spine ends and corners.)
provenance: Luis Bardón (d. 1964), Madrid bookseller, generic twentieth-century bookplate with name added in ink. acquisition: Purchased in 2000 from E.K. Schreiber, New York. references: BP16 102898; USTC 144406
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