M. T. Cicero | Opera, Paris, Torresano, 1565-1566, 4 volumes, early nineteenth-century diced russia, the Chatsworth copy

Marcus Tullius Cicero.

Opera omnia, quae exstant, a Dionysio Lambino Monstroliensis ex codicibus manuscriptis emendata, & aucta. Paris: (Fleury Prévost for) Bernardo Torresano, sub Aldina Bibliotheca, 1565-1566

4 volumes, folio (404 x 276 mm), woodcut Aldine device on title-pages, woodcut initials and headpieces, some early manuscript annotations to second volume, early nineteenth-century diced polished russia, gilt Devonshire arms on covers and monogram on spines, gilt dentelles, gilt edges, some light spotting and browning, lower outer corner of p.109 of first volume restored, small repairs to lower margins of p.269 and 303 of third volume, upper joints cracking, some wear to spine ends

THE CHATSWORTH COPY with gilt Devonshire arms on bindings and Chatsworth ex-libris recording their storage on bookcase 25, shelf B. The printer, Prévost, produced this scholarly edition for three different booksellers. The text was edited by Denis Lambin, a notable scholar and editor of Latin texts, and provided with annotations and indexes and fragmentary texts.

As usual, leaf yyy4 in the second volume has a printed cancel slip over the signature.

PROVENANCE:

“De Graindorge P(re)tre”, seventeenth-century inscription at head of each title-page; Devonshire, family library (Chatsworth), arms on binding and ex-libris to upper pastedown; Christie’s, London, 30 September – 1 October 1981, lot 107

LITERATURE:

Renouard 297/13; UCLA 1059; USTC 158162; James Philip Lacaita, Catalogue of the library at Chatsworth (London 1879), vol. I, p. 378 (this copy)