Pliny | The first edition in Italian of the Natural History, Venice: Nicolaus Jenson, 1476

Plinius Secundus, Gaius (Pliny, the Elder)

Historia naturalis [Italian] (Tr: Christophorus Landinus). Venice: Nicolaus Jenson, 1476

Super Royal folio (420 x 270 mm). Roman and Greek types, 50 lines, initial spaces with printed guide-letters. Collation: [1–21¹⁰ 22–26⁸ 27–35¹⁰ 36¹⁰ (+ 10* le piu morbide) 37⁸ 38¹⁰ 39⁸ 40–41¹⁰ 42⁸ 43¹⁰]: 413 (of 415) leaves (lacking first and final blanks). Illuminated border and 3 initials on 3/2r, with flowers, foliage, fruit and vases in gold leaf, red, blue, yellow and green, medallion in lower border with illuminated arms, the illumination Florentine and attributed by Manfred von Arnim to Francesco d’Antonio del Chierico; 15-line Antiqua preface initial, 6-line Antiqua prohemio initial, and 35 eleven-line Antiqua book initials, all finely illuminated in gold leaf, colors and penwork with backgrounds and flourishing of flowers and foliage; Antiqua initials in blue; a few manuscript signatures pre-served; a few pinpoint wormholes at beginning and end, not affecting the illumination, the illuminated border slightly rubbed, several leaves with marginal nicks, marginal tear in 12/1, scattered spotting, mostly confined to the margins. some light offsetting from the illuminated initials. minor soiling and stains, a few early marginalia. Contemporary Florentine calf over reverse-beveled wooden boards, elaborately blind-tooled to a panel design, remains of 4 clasps (1 decorated brass catchplate retained), 2 (of 4) brass bosses on upper cover, vellum endleaves, edges stained yellow; rebacked, some worming, corners repaired. Half brown morocco folding-case. 

First edition in Italian of this ambitious and influential work, the most significant and best documented publication from the presses of Nicolas Jenson; a fine, crisp, tall copy. Contemporary evidence within the Strozzi Family archives demonstrates that the Florentine Strozzis commissioned the printing, bought the paper—over 400 reams—and paid the translator, the famous humanist Cristoforo Landino. De Roover has suggested that as many as 1025 copies were printed and the total edition size may well have been larger still. A large number of finely bound and illuminated copies survive on paper and vellum of both the Latin 1472 edition (Goff P788) and the Italian edition. “The colophon of Plinio, of 415 leaves, is dated 1476, without month and day, but various memoranda of Girolamo Strozzi suggest that it was produced quickly, within the first half of the year” (Needham).

The majority of the illuminated copies are from several Venetian shops. The present copy is especially noteworthy due to its contemporary Florentine binding and the fine illumination attributed to Francesco d’Antonio del Chierico (1433–1488).

REFERENCES

BMC V 176 (IC.19694); Goff P801; GW M34342; ISTC ip00801000; Arnim, Bibliothek Otto Schäfer 275; Arnim, Europäische Einbandkunst 76; F. de Roover, "Per la storia dell'arte della stampa in Italia," in La Bibliofilía 55 (1953):107-117; De Marinis, Legatura artistica 1593. For the printing of the Jenson Pliny, see Paul Needham, “Concepts of Paper Study,” in: Puzzles in Paper: Concepts in Historical Watermarks, ed. D W. Mosser, M. Saffle, & E. W. Sullivan II (Oak Knoll Press & The British Library, 2000):1–36. For Venetian illumination in copies of the Jenson Pliny, see Lilian Armstrong, "The Illustration of Pliny's Natural History in Venetian Manuscripts and Early Printing," in Manuscripts in the Fifty Years after the Invention of Printing, ed. J. B. Trapp & L. Hellinga (London, 1983):97–105

PROVENANCE

Jacopo Bernardo Serzelli (signature, illuminated arms, sixteenth century) — Conte Girolamo Bardi — Otto Schäfer (acquired, 1962, from Gilhofer & Ranschburg; Sotheby’s New York, 8 December 1994, lot 145)

We are grateful to Paul Needham for his consultation on this lot.