Patrizi, De discorsi del reuerendo monsignor Francesco Patritij, Venice, Sons of Aldo Manuzio, 1545, French brown morocco, ca. 1550

Patrizi, Francesco. De discorsi del reuerendo monsignor Francesco Patritij sanese vescouo gaiettano, sopra alle cose appartenenti ad una città libera, e famiglia nobile; tradotti in lingua toscana da Giouanni Fabrini fiorentino, à beneficio de figliuoli di messer Antonio Massimi nobile romano, m. Domenico, e m. Horatio, libri noue. Venice: Sons of Aldo Manuzio, 1545

First edition of Patrizi’s Discorsi translated from the Latin by Giovanni Fabrini.

Francesco Patrizi (1413-1492) writer, politician and humanist, was appointed bishop of Gaeta by Pope Pio II in 1460. This selection of “discourses,” divided into nine books, covers a wide range of subjects including the principles of statecraft, the meaning of life (particularly the nature of virtue, health, honest pleasures and wealth), literature and the law. Patrizi, detached from the reigning debate that focused on the difficult relationships between the Church and the Empire, proposed a society based on the humanistic conception of autonomous man, freed from the ties of hierarchical power.

8vo (148 x 93 mm). Italic and Roman type, 30 lines plus headline. collation: A-Z⁸ AA-LL⁸ MM¹⁰: 282 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device to title-page and final verso. (A few stray spots.)

binding: French brown morocco (155 x 104 mm), ca. 1550, covers with gilt rules, gilt azured leafy arabesque stamped tête- bêche in center, spine with raised bands in six compartments, second compartment with F.PATRITII in gilt, others with gilt fleuron, all edges gilt. (Rebacked with original spine laid down, rubbed.)

provenance: Inscription "J Sabert. Turon" to title-page — Georges Aubusson de La Feuillade (1609-1697), ex libris dated 1697, recording bequest to Jesuit College of Metz — Jesuit College of Metz, inscription "Collegii Metensis Soc. Jesu Cat. insc." — 19^th century ex libris (possibly Bernard de Montessus family), by J. Neuchwander, Besançon — Martin Langenfeld, ex libris — Gilhofer & Ranschburg (Lucerne 2000), item 110 (CHF 3000). acquisition: Purchased from Gilhofer & Ranschburg, Lucerne, 2000. references: UCLA 327; Renouard 131/3; Edit16 26955; USTC 762223