Dionysius Areopagita (Pseudo-), Super omnes S. Dionysii Areopagitae libros commentaria, Cologne, 1536, Roman tan morocco for Pope Julius III

DIONYSIUS AREOPAGITA (Pseudo-). D. Dionysii Carthusiani eruditissima simul et utilissima super omnes S. Dionysii Areopagitae libros commentaria, studiosis omnibus hactenus multum desiderata, sed nunc primum utilitati publicae donata. Cologne: Peter Quentell, 1536

A RARE SURVIVAL FROM THE PRIVATE LIBRARY OF JULIUS III.

Just one other binding is known from this library: Legature papali no.89 (also De Marinis 882), on a Paris imprint of 1549, is bound in red morocco with the same gilt tooling and armorial, the only difference being the shape of the cartouche made for the lettering on the upper cover. The central armorial was painted red and blue, though if the present binding also had both blue and red paint, the blue has now disappeared. It seems likely that the volumes were originally colourful; this book most likely had red edges and red silk ties, now faded.

Anthony Hobson (Apollo and Pegasus, pp.86-89) identified the binder responsible for a group of books bound for Julius III as Marcantonio Guillery; the privy purse accounts for 1551-1553 show payments made to Guillery for books in Julius’s “libreria privata”, in the Villa Giulia to the north of Rome, but only these two bindings have been identified from this particular collection. Bindings were also made for Julius III by Niccolò Franzese, using the same armorial stamps as Guillery.

Folio (314 x 205 mm). Roman type, 56 lines plus headline. Collation: a-b⁶ A-Z⁶ AA-ZZ⁶ AAA-TTT⁶ VVV-ZZZ⁸ a-i⁶: 910 leaves. Title within four-piece woodcut border by Anton Woensam, woodcut armorial on a2, woodcut initials (some inhabited and historiated). (Some light browning or foxing.)

Binding: Roman tan morocco gilt (322 x 224 mm), made by Marcantonio Guillery, central gilt arms of Julius III highlighted with red paint, lettered IVLIVS PP III beneath, concentric outer frames of gilt and blind fillets with the del Monte insignia stamped at corners, gilt leafy stamps at centre of each side of the frame, spine lettered in top compartment with del Monte insignia stamped in the other compartments, edges painted (red? now faded to a dusky pink), stubs from four pairs of (red?) ties, endleaves with watermark Briquet 6683 (Rome, 1540s). (Binding somewhat rubbed and scraped, a few small wormholes, corners bumped, spine defective at ends.)

Provenance: Julius III (Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, 1487-1555, pope from 1550), arms on binding, his private library at Villa Giulia — Provana family, of Collegno (Turin), purple ink stamp on flyleaf (used by various members of the family) — Biblioteca la Ricciardetta, ink stamp on flyleaf — Bernard Quaritch, Early books and manuscripts (London, 2005), item 20. Acquisition: Purchased in 2005 from Bernard Quaritch, London. References: VD16 D 1849