Jacobus de Cessolis | De ludo scachorum, Toulouse, [c.1494], the Syston Park-von der Lasa copy

Jacobus de Cessolis

Incipit libellus de ludo scachorum et de dictus factisque nobilius virorus philosophorum et antiquorum prologus libelli.Toulouse: Henricus Mayer, [c.1494]

Small 4to (199 x 128 mm). Collation: a-g⁸ h⁴: 60 leaves (a1 blank), gothic type: 28 lines, contemporary rubrication, some early modern marginalia (now washed and faded), straight-grained blue morocco gilt by Thouvenin, gilt edges and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, lower margin of first leaf renewed (not affecting text)

THE SYSTON PARK–VON DER LASA COPY of this extremely rare fourth edition of the first printed work on chess, written by Dominican monk Jacobus de Cessolis. Whilst the present edition is very rare at auction, fifteen other incunable editions of the work were printed, in Latin, Dutch, Italian, and English. Portraying chess pieces as an allegory for social hierarchy, Cessolis uses the game of chess as a basis for lessons on morality in four books, with each tackling a different aspect of chess and how it reflects social order. The chess board, Cessolis suggests, represents the city of Babylon; the pieces represent the different social ranks.

For other early editions of this work, see lots 10–11 and 13–15.

PROVENANCE:

Sir John Hayford Thorold, 10th Baronet (1773–1831) of Syston Park Hall, Lincolnshire, armorial bookplate, monogrammed bookplate, and pencil note in Thorold's hand to flyleaf ("1825 Longman | Liber Rarus"); by direct descent to Sir John Henry Thorold, 12th Baronet (1842–1922); his sale in our rooms, 19 December 1884, lot 1033 ("An extremely rare edition, never seen by Brunet"); Baron von der Lasa (1818–1899), legendary German chess master and chess historian, armorial bookplate with manuscript inventory number (no. 473) and recording acquisition date (1890), with 3pp autograph notes to endleaves, and marginal annotation in pencil on c6 and g4

LITERATURE:

ISTC ic00410000 (listing 9 institutional copies); USTC 201236; GW 6526