Giovio, Le sententiose imprese, Lyon, 1562, later vellum

GIOVO, PAOLO. Le sententiose imprese di monsignor Paulo Giovio, et del signor Gabriel Symeoni, ridotte in rima per il detto Symeoni. Lyon: Guillaume Rouille, 1562

An illustrated version of Giovio's imprese, however this edition comprises an emblem for a particular person (ranging from the Emperor Titus to Lodovico Domenichi) with motto and four-line verse description by Simeoni, replacing Giovio's original prose text. It was first printed by Rouille in 1560 to form a companion volume to Simeoni's Dialogo pio e speculativo.

4to (211 x 147 mm). Roman and italic type. Collation: a-r⁴: 67 leaves (of 68, without final blank). Woodcut printer's device on title-page, woodcut initials and headpieces, woodcut illustrations. (Some marginal foxing, small ink hole in woodcut on h2, small stain on o3v, Erasmus's name crossed through on q3.)

Binding: Later vellum (215 x 160 mm), flat spine gilt with red morocco lettering-piece with horizontal lettering, red edges.

Provenance: Discalced Carmelites of San Girolamo, Padua (founded 1669), inscription at foot of title-page — Dallington House (Northampton?), ink stamp on title-page. Acquisition: Purchased in 1991 from Bernard Quaritch, London. References: Adams, Rawles and Saunders F.266; Landwehr, Romanic Emblem Books 341; USTC 116057; von Gültlingen X, Rouille 563