Plinius Caecilius Secundus, Nat. hist. libros locupletior, Venice, [Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Heirs of Andrea Torresano], 1538, dark brown Parisian calf by Etienne Roffet (ca. 1539-1540) for François I, King of France

Plinius Caecilius Secundus, Gaius. Index in C. Plinii Nat. hist. libros locupletior, et castigatior, quam qui hactenus impressi sunt. Addidimus loca quaedam ex ueterum exemplarium fide emendata: quae a nemine hactenus animaduersa erant. Venice: [Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Heirs of Andrea Torresano], 1538

A rare work, from the library of François I, King of France, with his coat of arms.

Bibliotheca Brookeriana: The Aldine Collection A-C, 13 October 2023, offered two bindings made for François: one for a 1522 edition of Alcionio (lot 111), and the other for a 1520 Curtius Rufus (lot 415). Each was produced around 1537-1540 in an Italianate style, forming part of François’s “Italian Library,” a reflection of his interest in all things Italian, from art and sculpture to his daughter-in-law Catherine de’ Medici.

8vo (155 x 98 mm). Roman type, 44 lines plus headline, text printed in two columns. collation: A-Z⁸ AA-GG⁸ HH¹² (lacking HH12, a blank): 251 (of 252) leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title-page and verso of HH9. (Scattered and faint foxing.)

binding: Dark brown Parisian calf (162 x 105 mm), by Etienne Roffet (ca. 1539-1540), for François I, covers ruled in blind, two frames composed of double gilt fillets flanked by multiple blind fillets, large gilt arabesque linking frames at corners, Francis I's royal arms gilt at center, arms accompanied by a salamander in flames surrounded by four gilt five-petaled flowers and flanked by two gilt F's surmounted by a crown, traces of two pairs of ties, spine with raised bands in six compartments, edges gilt. (Rebacked to style, upper cover particularly rubbed)

provenance: François I, King of France (1494-1547) — Augustus Frederick, Royal Duke of Sussex (1773-1843); his sale, R.H. Evans, London, 22 April-4 May 1845, lot 788 — John Wyndham Bruce-Pryce (1809-1868), inscription to front pastedown — Louis-Alexandre Barbet (1850-1931); his sale, Henri Baudoin, Maurice Ader & Librairie Giraud-Badin, Paris, 7-10 November 1932, lot 414. acquisition: Purchased from Librairie Paul Jammes, Paris, 2017. references: UCLA 1034; Renouard 116/1; Edit16 27236 (Vol. IV); USTC 849931 (Vol. IV)