Statius, Syluarum, Venice, Aldo Manuzio, 1502, Roman brown morocco, before 1527

Statius, Publius Papinius. Statii Syluarum libri quinque, Thebaidos libri duodecim, Achilleidos duo [Latin and Greek]. Venice: Aldo Manuzio, August 1502

The inscription on the title-page is likely referring to Jean Antoine de Lescure (Joannes Antonius Lescurius), a jurist who studied under Jacques Cujas (1547–1549) and later taught law in Grenoble and Valence. Lescure’s copies of the 1517 Aldine Martialis and 1497 Aldine Crastone with inscriptions respectively dated at Rome March and April 1580 have been seen recently in the market (Christie’s, London, 29 November 1999, lot 54; Christie's, Paris, 22 November 2021, lot 11). Manuscripts once belonging to him are in Paris (BnF lat. 9653), Lyon (Lyon, Bibliothèque municipale, MS PA 27), and Montpellier (Bibliothèque universitaire historique de Médecine, H 083). The binding has been attributed to the shop of the Roman stationer Paolo di Bernardino Bancheli, though Hobson suggests it is not his work despite the presence of Bancheli's distinctive ginkgo leaf tool. 

8vo (161 x 98 mm). Italic type, 30 lines plus headline. collation: a-e^{8 2}a-z⁸ A-F⁸ G^{4 2}A-B^{8 2}C⁴: 296 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device to e8, guide letters in initial spaces. (Light spotting, mainly marginal.)

binding: Roman brown morocco, before 1527 (164 x 105 mm), tooled in gilt, frame of repeated arabesque, horizontal band of small leaves at top and bottom of panel, corners with arcs containing ginkgo leaf, in center leafy tool impressed four times to form cross, with rosettes at each arm, traces of four clasps, spine with three bands, leafy tool cross in compartments, edges speckled brown, black, and red. (Gilt oxidized, spine and joints a little cracked, a little scuffed, minor worming to covers.)

provenance: Unidentified owner(s), early inscriptions to endleaves — "Lescurius Romae idib. Feb. MDLXXX" on title-page, probably Jean Antoine de Lescure (Joannes Antonius Lescurius) — Reiss & Sohn, Königstein im Taunus, 23 October 2001, lot 563. acquisition: Purchased at Reiss & Sohn via Halwas. references: UCLA 61; Renouard 35/7; Edit16 36141; USTC 857455