[Aldus Manutius--Antoine-Augustin Renouard] | Printer's oval ornament, portrait head of Aldus Manutius used by Renouard in 1834

[Aldus Manutius--Antoine-Augustin Renouard].

Printer's oval ornament (47 x 37 x 2 mm), metal, mounted on rectangular wooden block (50 x 40 x 18 mm), portrait head of Aldus Manutius surrounded by lettering “ALDVS.PIVS.MANVTIVS.R.”, used by Antoine-Augustin Renouard for the final edition of his Annales de l'imprimerie des Alde (Paris, 1834), p. 424

Antoine-Augustin Renouard (1765-1853) was a French bookseller and bibliographer, perhaps best known for his great works on the Aldine Press. This ornament, depicting the renowned Italian printer and humanist, Aldus Manutius (c. 1449/1452–1515), was used in the third and final edition of Renouard’s Annales, published in 1834.

PROVENANCE:

Antoine-Augustin Renouard (1765-1853); Ambroise Firmin-Didot (1790-1876); André Jammes, private collection; gifted to present owner

LITERATURE:

Antoine-Augustin Renouard, Annales de l'imprimerie des Alde (Paris, 1834), p. 424