Diogenes Laertius, Le vite de gli illustri filosofi, Venice, 1545, contemporary Italian dark brown morocco gilt

DIOGENES LAERTIUS. Le vite de gli illustri filosofi di Diogene Laertio, a’l Greco idiomate ridutte ne la lingua commune d’Italia. Venice: Vincenzo Valgrisi, 1545

An old pencil note at the back of the volume states that this is a publisher’s binding. The same corner stamp appears on a Venetian commission of 1557 (De Marinis 1879), and a version of the centrepiece stamp (without the side leafy extensions) on a commission of 1596 (De Marinis 1917). The preface is signed by the Rositini of Prat’Alboino (near Brescia), presumably the brothers Bartolomeo, Lodovico and Pietro Rositini, who translated other works from the Greek for Venetian printers at this time.

8vo (159 x 100 mm). Italic type, 30 lines plus headline. Collation: *⁸ a-z⁸ A-H⁸ I⁴: 260 leaves (last leaf blank). Woodcut printer’s device on title-page and final verso, woodcut initials. (Small holes in first and last few leaves, paper flaw at lower corner of f2.)

Binding: Contemporary Italian (probably Venetian) dark brown morocco gilt (165 x 109 mm), covers with a double frame of blind and gilt fillets with corner flower stamps, leafy centrepiece composed of a stamp printed back to back, spine with small gilt flower bud stamp and title lettered in the centre compartment, edges gilt with dotted gauffered border, stubs from two pairs of ties. (Covers detached, corners rubbed, spine cracked and repaired at ends with a few small defects, original endpapers pasted down, new flyleaf at front.)

Provenance: Small purple ink stamp on title-page — Sotheby’s, Milan, 27 June 2005, lot 165. Acquisition: Purchased at the preceding sale. References: Edit16 17227