Terentius, Comoediae sex, Lyon, 1548, contemporary French armorial binding of tan calf

TERENTIUS AFER, PUBLIUS. Pub. Terentii Aphri Comoediae sex. Post omnes omnium editiones, summa denuo vigilantia recognitae. Lyon: Sébastien Gryphe, 1548

A copy of Terence's comedies bound in a contemporary French armorial binding for an unidentified owner "A.L.". The present copy contains a handful of annotations by an early reader in Acts 4 and 5 of Andria—a significant text in the Renaissance as the first of Terence's plays to be performed in the post-antique period.

8vo (165 x 107 mm). Roman and italic type. Collation: a-t⁸ u⁴: 156 leaves. Woodcut device on title-page and verso of final leaf, ruled in gilt throughout, a few early modern marginal annotations on e3, e5 and e6. (Title-page detached.)

Binding: Contemporary French armorial binding for "A.L." with horizontal spine title (164 x 105 mm), tan calf, gilt fillet around sides, gilt fleuron at outer angles, in centre a circle formed by gilt fillet with arms flanked by initials AL, lions tooled in silver, and elements painted white, spine with 5 full and 2 half bands, 2-line title in lower half of top compartment, gilt fleur-de-lis in others, gilt edges. (Upper board detached, lower joint starting, extremities rubbed.)

Acquisition: Purchased in 1994 from E.K. Schreiber, New York. References: USTC 122985; von Gültlingen V: Gryphe 1058