Aesopus, Fabellae Graece et Latine, Basel, 1534, contemporary Bolognese dark brown morocco

AESOPUS. Aesopi Phrygii Fabellae Graece et Latine, cum aliis opusculis. Basel: in officina Frobeniana (Hieronymus Froben and Nikolaus Episcopius), 1534

A volume containing Aesop’s Fables, along with a life of Aesop and Gabria’s metrical fables, Homer’s Battle of the Frogs and the Mice, Hero and Leander by Musaeus, and Agapetus. Aesop was often used as an educational text for learning Greek, accompanied here by the Latin version, as well as other short Greek texts. This is one of several Froben editions produced from 1518 onwards, indicating the strong market for this work.

The cornucopia tool on the binding was also used by the First Binder of Achille Bocchi and the First Binder of San Salvatore (A. Hobson and L. Quaquarelli, Legature bolognesi del Rinascimento, plates 4-5 and 29). Both the cornucopia and border tools are found on a manuscript by Achille Bocchi bound for presentation to the Pope (De Marinis 1289, illustrated on plate CCXXIII). The provenance also indicates an early Bolognese connection.

8vo (176 x 117 mm). Greek and roman type, 29 lines plus headline. Collation: a-z⁸: 184 leaves. Woodcut printer’s device on title-page and final verso, woodcut initials. (A few inscriptions on title-page erased, occasional light soiling.)

Binding: Contemporary Bolognese dark brown morocco over pasteboard (182 x 122 mm), border of a repeated leafy stamp, central panel filled with a repeated intertwining cornucopia stamp, with traces of silver in the tooling (almost all now rubbed or oxidised), spine with blind fillet decoration, traces of painted decoration on edges, later lettering across foot of textblock “AEsopi Fabule”, stubs from four pairs of ties. (Repairs to spine, particularly at ends, spine creased, a few small wormholes.)

Provenance: Erased inscriptions on title-page — "Doñ. Titi Bonoñ." (?, of Bologna), early inscription below colophon — [Carlo Alberto Chiesa, Milan]. Acquisition: Purchased in 2015 from Librairie Lardanchet, Paris. References: VD16 ZV 132