Poliziano, Omnia opera, Venice, Aldo Manuzio, July 1498, French eighteenth-century green morocco by Derome

POLIZIANO, ANGELO AMBROGINI, CALLED. Omnia opera Angeli Politiani, et alia quaedam lectu digna, quorum nomina in sequenti indice videre licet. Ed: Alexander Sartius. Herodianus: Historia de Imperio post Marcum; Epictetus: Enchiridion; Alexander Aphrodisaeus: Problemata; Plutarchus: Narrationes amatoriae; Athanasius: Stilus et character psalmorum. Angelus Politianus. Venice: Aldo Manuzio, July 1498

FIRST COLLECTED EDITION OF POLIZIANO'S WORKS, CONTAINING THE FIRST USE OF HEBREW TYPE BY ALDO. Poliziano (1454–1494) was tutor to the sons of Lorenzo de' Medici (the work is dedicated to Piero de' Medici) before becoming chair of Latin and Greek at the Florentine Studio, and was renowned for his mastery of the Greek language. He had begun preparing his letters and other writings for publication himself, with the assistance of the Bolognese humanist Alessandro Sarti, but when the intended Bolognese printer, Platon Benedetti, died in 1496, Aldo stepped in and completed the project.

"Although not a classical author, Poliziano was nonetheless admired by Aldus for the elegance of his writing, and this publication may have been intended to serve as a model of elegant Latin and Greek composition" (Grolier/Aldus).

This copy was owned early on by Ludwig Baer (or Ludovicus Ursinus, 1479–1554), who was Professor of Theology and rector of the university at Basel until 1529 when, on the election of the reform party, he moved to Freiburg. Erasmus praised Baer for his ability to exercise his academic duties as a theologian "without the slightest hostility towards classical and biblical scholarship" (Contemporaries of Erasmus, ed. Bietenholz, I:86). 

Super-Chancery folio (307 x 195 mm). Roman and Greek types, with a few Hebrew characters on H8r, 38 lines plus headline. Collation: a–p⁸ q–r¹⁰ s–t⁸ A–I⁸ K⁴ L–P⁸ Q–R¹⁰ S⁸ T¹⁰ V⁶ X–Y¹⁰ Z⁸ &¹⁰ aa¹⁰ iteru[m] aa–iteru[m] bb⁸ bb–hh⁸ ii⁶ kk¹⁰: 450 (of 452) leaves (lacking aa4.5). Numerous three- to nine-line initial spaces with guide letters, initials (some modestly elaborate) supplied and rubricated throughout in red and blue. (Occasional soiling, some innocuous wormholes.)

Binding: French eighteenth-century green morocco (314 x 215), covers with border of three gilt fillets with gilt circle at points of intersections, spine gilt-tooled in six compartments, second and sixth with red morocco labels, respectively lettered with author & title and printer & date, marbled endpapers, gilt-rolled turn-ins, gilt edges. (Some very light scuffing, two small wormholes, lower joint with minor repair.)

Provenance: "Ex libris Canoni Lugulis in Harbach," partially effaced fifteenth/early-sixteenth-century inscription on title- page — Ludwig Baer (1479–1554), inscription, dated 1502, on title-page — possibly "Domus S. Antonii Isenheim," crossed out inscription on title-page with note that the volume was added to catalogue in 1780 — William Nanson Lettsom (1796– 1865), inscription on verso front free endpaper, dated 4 December 1821; Sotheby's, 20–23 November 1865, lot 1278; purchased by — unidentified owner (£4 6s) — clipping from a nineteenth-century dealer's(?) catalogue tipped to front pastedown describing this copy "as clean as the day it was printed" and attributing the binding to Derome — John Roseberry Monson, 10th Baron Monson of Burton (1907–1958), small rectangular label "Lord Monson" at foot of lower pastedown — Trustees of the 10th Baron Monson's Residuary Trust; Sotheby's London, 5 June 2013, lot 228 (the Trust designated as the consignor); purchased by — unidentified owner (£13,750). Acquisition: Purchased from Librairie Paul Jammes, Paris, 2015. References: UCLA 26; Aldo Manuzio tipografo 27; BMC V 559 (IB 24475); Goff P886; Grolier/Aldus 14; GW M34727; ISTC ip00886000; Renouard 17/4