Pontano, Opera, [Venice?: 1513-1520?], probably contemporary limp vellum

Pontano, Giovanni Gioviano. Pontani Opera. Vrania, siue de stellis libri quinque. Meteororum liber unus. De hortis hesperidum libri duo. Lepidina siue pastorales pompae septem. Item Meliseus Maeon Acon. Hendecasyllaborum libri duo. Tumulorum liber unus. Neniae duodecim. Epigrammata duodecim. Quae uero in toto opere habeantur in indice, qui in calce est, licet uidere. [Venice?: 1513-1520?]

A rare Aldine counterfeit, likely based on the second Aldine edition (1513) of this anthology of Pontanus's poetry, first published by Aldo in 1505 (see lot 1342 and 1343).

8vo (155 x 95 mm). Italic and Roman type, 30 lines plus headline. collation: a-z⁸ aa-ii⁸: 256 leaves. (Foxing, scattered staining.)

binding: Probably contemporary limp vellum (157 x 105 mm), traces of two pairs of ties, eighteenth-century gilt-lettered red morocco label to spine. (Overall worn with staining and splits to velum, cloth backing visible beneath spine, some worming.)

provenance: Armorial ex libris on front pastedown. acquisition: Purchased from Sokol Books Ltd., London, 2003. references: Cf. Renouard 318/4 ("Sans date, feuillets chiffrés. Copie des éditions Aldines de 1513 et 1518, dont on reproduit jusqu'aux fautes typographiques"); Edit16 48450 ("Contraffazione dell'edizione aldina del 1513 stampata presumibilmente a Venezia."); USTC 850323; cf. Baudrier, VII, p. 19 (cited)