Zantani, Omnium Caesarum verissimae imagines, Venice, Enea Vico, 1553, early vellum

Zantani, Antonio. Omnium Caesarum verissimae imagines ex antiquis numismatis desumptae. Addita per breui cuiusque vitae descriptione ac diligenti eorum, quae reperiri potuerunt numismatum auersae partis delineatione. Libri primi. Editio altera. Venice: Enea Vico, 1553

First edition of the Latin translation of this important numismatic work, illustrated with the plates from the 1548 Italian edition, “considerably worked over” (Mortimer). This copy lacks the index.

4to (202 x 155 mm). Roman type, 34 lines plus headline. collation: π² [1]-[10]⁴ [11]⁶ [12]-[17]⁴ [18]⁶ A-D⁴: 72 leaves (of 92, lacking the quires A-D (index), and 4 unsigned leaves). Engraved title-page within an architectural border, engraved illustrations of cartouches, coins, and medals by Enea Vico, historiated woodcut initials, extensive eighteenth-century marginalia and drawings of coins pasted down on few leaves. (Title soiled and inserted on stub with deleted inkstamp at bottom, repairs to ff. 5-6 affecting illustrations, paper flaw on f. 53, scattered staining, soiling, and wear, numerous quires reinforced along inner margin and loose or becoming loose.)

binding: Early vellum (206 x 158 mm), flat spine with title in ink. (Covers slightly stained and wrinkled, label apparently removed from tail of spine, a few small wormholes, later front endleaves chipped and repaired, without rear endleaves.)

provenance: Unidentified owner, initials "F.M.M.L." and "Fran. Mariet" on title (latter repeated f. 4 verso) — unidentified owner, marginalia and drawings of medals on blanks (eighteenth century). acquisition: Purchased from Librairie Thomas- Scheler, Paris, 1984. references: UCLA 452; Renouard 158/21; Edit16 56305; USTC 863199; Harvard/Mortimer Italian 557