Statius, Syluarum, Venice, Aldo Manuzio, 1502, early sixteenth-century Spanish dark brown morocco

STATIUS, PUBLIUS PAPINIUS. Statii Syluarum libri quinque, Thebaidos libri duodecim, Achilleidos duo [Latin and Greek]. Venice: Aldo Manuzio, August 1502

“One of the first Aldine warnings against counterfeiters and pirates is found at the end of this edition of the Silver Age Latin poetry of Statius (ca. 45–ca. 96 CE). Below the colophon Aldo gives notice that “no one is allowed to print this without penalty: warning.” (Grolier/Aldus)

8vo (156 x 97 mm.) Italic type, 30 lines plus headline. Collation: a-e⁸ 2a-z⁸ A-F⁸ G⁴ 2A-B⁸ 2C⁴: 296 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device to e8, guide letters in initial spaces. (Very small wormholes to first and last leaves.)

Binding: Early sixteenth-century Spanish dark brown morocco (160 x 100 mm), blind tooled in mudejar style, edges gilt and gauffered to a diapered pattern with circles. (Joints and spine cracked, corners worn, worming to covers and spine.)

Provenance: Unidentified owner, early inscription "Luys de Medoça" to title-page, possibly Luis Hurtado de Mendoza y Pacheco, II marqués de Mondejar (1489–1566), Captain General of the Kingdom of Granada, Alcaide of the Alhambra, Viceroy of Navarre (1543), and President of the Council of Castile (1546) — Lathrop C. Harper Inc., New York; their Catalogue 197; (New York 1971), item 10; Catalogue 203. Acquisition: Purchased from Lathrop C. Harper Inc., New York, 1970. References: UCLA 61; Renouard 35/7; Edit16 36141; USTC 857455