Tasso, Delle rime, Venice, Aldo II Manuzio, 1582, nineteenth-century English dark green morocco

Tasso, Torquato. Delle rime del signor Torquato Tasso. Parte prima [-seconda] insieme con altri componimenti del medesimo [2 vols]. Venice: Aldo II Manuzio, 1582

12mo (127 x 66 mm). Roman and italic type, 31 lines plus headline. collation: *¹² A-K¹² L-V¹²: 253 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device to title-page, large capital initials, decorated initials, head and tail pieces. (V12 blank cut away, minor occasional stains and ink smudging, blank corner of title and M1 to second volume repaired at lower outer corner.)

binding: Nineteenth-century English dark green morocco (132 x 69 mm), gilt linear border around sides, gilt Aldine device on covers, spine with six bands, compartments with gilt fillet around sides, gilt title, etc., marbled endpapers, gilt edges. (Extremities rubbed.)

provenance: Unidentified owner, early inscription "Antonii Papotti J.C." on title-page — Edward Clive Herbert, 2^nd Earl Powis (1785-1848), inscription on verso of endpaper and flyleaf of volume 2; A Catalogue of books printed by Aldus Manutius and his successors 1495-1597 in the possession of Lord Viscount Clive London 1825 (London, British Library, Add Ms 54176, f.82: "Tasso. 2 Vols. g.m. small 12.mo") — by descent to George Herbert, 4^th Earl Powis (1862-1952) — Sotheby's London, 20-22 March 1923, lot 591; purchased by — Bernard Quaritch, London; Catalogue of a most important collection of publications of the Aldine Press (London 1929), p. 73 — Swann Galleries New York, 25 September 1980, lot 16. acquisition: Purchased at Swann via Jonathan Hill. references: UCLA 947; Renouard 231/7; Edit16 27617; USTC 858311