Palacio, Enarrationes in sacrosanctum Iesu Christi Euangelium secundum Matthaeum, Venice, Biblioteca Aldina, 1571, early nineteenth-century English green morocco

Palacio, Pablo de. Pauli de Palacio Granatensis, s. th. d. et in inclyta Lusitanorum Conimbricensi academia, S. Scripturae professoris, Enarrationes in sacrosanctum Iesu Christi Euangelium secundum Matthaeum. Prima [-secunda] pars. Venice: Biblioteca Aldina, 1571

First edition, the Syston Park copy, with fore-edge paintings depicting Venice's Piazzetta and St. Mark’s Basilica.

Two volumes, 8vo (145 x 95 mm). Italic and Roman type, 30 lines plus headline. collation: (vol. I) A-Z⁸ AA-ZZ⁸ AAA-DDD⁸: 400 leaves; (vol. II) a-z⁸ aa-zz⁸ aaa⁸: 376 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on each title-page, recto DDD8 of vol. I, and final verso of vol. II. (Upper margin trimmed close with a few headlines just shaved, a few stray spots, a few instances of marginal dampstaining, scattered foxing and browning, tear or paper flaw to margin of VV5 of vol. I, closed tear to i3 and tt8 of vol. II repaired.)

binding: Early nineteenth-century English green morocco (150 x 106 mm), covers with later gilt anchor & dolphin with rope stamp of Storr of Grantham at center, each framed by multiple gilt rules joined by floral cornerpieces, blind floral cornerpieces, flat spines gilt-lettered, and with compartments formed by multiple gilt rules, all edges gilt, blue coated endleaves. (Upper joint of vol. I with internal repair, lower joint of vol. I cracked, joints of vol. II starting, minor rubbing.) Housed in clamshell case.

provenance: Lorenzo Pignoria (1571-1631), inscription at end of vol. II — inscription "Convt. S. Joannis Servalli" on title-page of vol. II — Sir John Thorold, 9^th Bt. (1734-1815) — Sir John Hayford Thorold, 10^th Bt. (1773-1831) — Sir John Henry Thorold, 12^th Bt. (1842-1922), his sale, Sotheby's London, 12-19 December 1884, lot 1455 — William Ridler, London, purchased in previous sale — James Henry Johnson (d. 1897), his sale, Puttick & Simpson, London, 28 February-9 March 1898, lot 1720 — Hodgson & Co., London, 22-23 July 1926, lot 525 — George Y. McLeish, purchased in previous sale (£1 12s) — Parke-Bernet, New York, 24 March 1970, lot 90. acquisition: Purchased from Seven Gables Bookshop, New York, 1973. references: UCLA 1083; Renouard 211/1; Edit16 33997; USTC 846109