Martialis, Epigrammaton libri XIIII, Lyon, 1546, Northern Italian red morocco gilt

MARTIALIS, MARCUS VALERIUS. M. Val. Martialis Epigrammaton libri XIIII. Lyon: Sébastien Gryphe, 1546 

This is one of a group of nine similar bindings, all found on small format Gryphe imprints of 1544-1551, with the same armorial of a tower surmounted by a crowned eagle; while this exact armorial is not recorded, it is most similar to that of the Novarini family of Verona. It has been suggested that these volumes formed part of a travelling library, as the books are all pocket-sized classical texts. For a full listing of the bindings, see Bibliotheca Brookeriana I, 11 October 2023, lot 58, where the present binding is number 7 in the list. 

16mo (120 x 74 mm). Roman and italic type, 29 lines plus headline. Collation: a-z⁸ A-B⁸ (B8 blank): 200 leaves. Woodcut printer's device on title-page, woodcut initials, a few annotations in ink. (Small ink stains to head of a5-f2 and u4-7, tears without loss to title-page, c6, i3 and x4, ink stains obscuring parts of text to l6-8.)

Binding: Later sixteenth-century north Italian red morocco gilt (126 x 84 mm), dotted frame, double gilt fillets with leafy decoration emerging into half lozenges and central full lozenge, central stamp of a tower surmounted by a crowned eagle, spine gilt in compartments with MARTIALIS in top compartment, fleuron in others, edges gilt with ropework gauffering around sides. (Spine defective, corners slightly rubbed, joints cracked, slight worming to lower endpaper and final leaf.)

Provenance: Plausibly the Novarini family of Verona, arms on binding — "Giovanni Merlini", washed inscription at foot of title-page — Giovanni Gancia, sale, Delbergue-Cormont & Librairie Bachelin-Deflorenne, Catalogue de la Bibliothèque de M. G. Gancia, Paris, 27 April-2 May 1868, lot 462 — Charles-Henri-Auguste Schefer (1820-1898), sale, Léon Tual & Charles Porquet, Catalogue de bons livres ancien et modernes provenant de la bibliothèque de feu M. Ch. Schefer, Paris, 8-16 May 1899, lot 122 — Hector Marie Auguste de Backer (1843-1925), sale, Fernand Lair-Dubreuil & Librairie Giraud-Badin, Bibliothèque de feu M. Hector de Backer, Paris, 28-31 March 1927, lot 2906 — Librairie Gumuchian et Cie, Catalogue 12: Catalogue de reliures du XVe au XVIe siècle, Paris 1929, item 67 — Pierre Briquet, endleaf sticker with inscription "Briquet Paris 1934" — Maurice Burrus (1882-1959), bookplate to front pastedown, sale, Christie's, Maurice Burrus (1882-1959): la bibliothèque d'un homme de goût, Paris, 15 December 2015, lot 135. Acquisition: Purchased at the preceding sale. References: USTC 149585; Gültlingen, V: Gryphe 944