17th century bindings (6 resultados)

First Edition in German. 160 x 100 mm. (6 1/4 x 4"). 16 p.l., 699, [3] pp. Translated from the Latin by Sebastian Äntzenhover. UNUSUAL AND QUITE BEAUTIFUL CONTEMPORARY GERMAN DARK RED MOROCCO, GILT, covers with gilt fillet border, central panel with onlaid corner pieces and centerpiece of black morocco stamped in relief to an Ottoman-inspired design of flowering vines, raised bands, spine panels with gilt centerpiece, two leather straps with silver clasps and catches, all edges gilt. Title page with engraving of the Tower of Babel. Top half inch of title page cut away (to remove owner inscription?). VD17 12:103845E; USTC 2019170. A touch of bowing to boards, spine a little crackled, joints and extremities a bit rubbed, occasional small, round marginal marks, apparently made with wax(!) and presumably meant to indicate textual importance, other trivial imperfections, but an excellent copy, clean and fresh, in an unrestoredbinding with lustrous boards glistening with gilt. This rare work on sinning through the use of wicked words is offered here in a lovely binding that is quite out of the ordinary for its time and place and that may well have a very noble provenance. "Spiritual Tongues: That is, a Salutary Treatise Concerning the Poisonous Tongue of Man--How to Guard Against and Remedy It" is an examination of the sins committed through speaking written by Munich Jesuit Johannes Pelecyus (15451623) and first printed, in Latin, in 1620. Pelecyus addresses the evils of gossip, slander, indiscretion, cursing, mocking, and other injurious speech. The first part of the work is a general overview of the topic from a theological standpoint, while the second part is a more practical guide to types of harmful speech, and specific remedies for avoiding and correcting these offenses. Pelecyus concludes with a poem "The Devil's Disease and its Remedy." The binding here is remarkable in terms of its material makeup and the conjectural origin of its design.In the first part of the 17th century, morocco was not commonly used by German binders, who preferred sturdier pigskin, particularly for treatises like this, which could be expected to see much use (poisonous tongues have long been a fact of life and in need of being frequently read about). Morocco was generally reserved for presentation copies or ceremonial liturgical works. In addition to the material, the decoration here is unusually lavish for a text of this sort, with onlays, gilt adornment, and silver clasps that required time and skill from the artisan, and considerable expense for the patron. Significantly, the lovely relief centerpiece design on the boards here also appears on the covers of a Book of Hours originally created for Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519). That volume was later acquired by another similarly named owner, Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria (and is now to be found in the Bavarian State Library: shelfmark BSB 2 L.impr.membr. 64). It is certainly well within the realm of possibility that our later Maximilian (1573-1651) could have owned the present poisoned tongue volume and had it dressed in its elaborate morocco attire in imitation of the original binding design on the emperor's prayer book. Whoever was responsible for the binding, they surely did extremely fine work, and no doubt for an elite clientele. One other curious feature of this volume is the series of round wax dollops made in the margins, which an owner (the fastidious second Maximilian?) has used to mark passages of interest in the text. While they don't materially affect the value of the volume, they are intriguing in that they inevitably call up images for us of a careful early reader systematically marking with some kind of unknown implement the parts of the text that seemed important. "Spiritual Tongues" is a rare work: USTC and OCLC find just four copies outside Germany, none of them in North America, and we could trace just one copy sold at auction.

156 x 89 mm. (6 1/8 x 3 1/2"). 14 p.l., 95, [1], 80 pp. With a life of the author. APPROPRIATELY CELESTIAL CONTEMPORARY VELLUM SPRINKLED WITH GILT STARS on covers, flat spine densely tooled with repeating Gascon-style fleurette. Two section titles with an excellent woodcut depicting Nostradamus surrounded by the instruments of his trade, woodcut tailpieces of stars and moon. Front pastedown with pencilled name and annotations of Nostradamus scholar Daniel Ruzo de los Heros. USTC 6163254. Minor soiling and three small brown stains to covers, first quire and last two quires a bit browned (due to paper quality), one leaf with horizontal crease partially obscuring a line of text (though still legible), other isolated imperfections, but an excellent copy nevertheless, the text clean and fresh, and the curious binding shining with gilt and showing almost no wear. In a particularly charming star-studded binding, this is an excellent copy of Nostradamus' famous prophecies, which has been part of two major Nostradamus collections. The famous astrologer and physician Michel de Nostre-Dame, known as Nostradamus (1503-66) caused a sensation with the publication of his "Centuries" in 1555, a collection of predictions, written in nearly impenetrable quatrains, that has enjoyed a certain measure of popularity ever since. Published in Bordeaux in 1698, our edition contains the 942 surviving predictions, together with a brief biography of Nostradamus. Our copy is distinguished by a strikingly appropriate contemporary "reliure parlante"--a binding designed to mirror the contents of the book it covers; in this case, the field of shimmering gilt stars perfectly suits the subject of reading the heavens, and wonderfully complements the celestial woodcuts in the book. This copy has been part of two notable libraries of Nostradamus material. Former owner Daniel Ruzo de los Heros (1900-91) was a Peruvian scholar and eccentric, whose wide-ranging career included serving as district mayor of Miraflores in Lima, publishing numerous works on the possible man-made nature of the geologic formations in Marcahuasi, and (most relevant here) collecting a wealth of Nostradamus material. His 1970 work "El Testamento Autentico de Nostradamus" includes his theories on Nostradamus' prophecies, along with a bibliography of published editions of Nostradamus' works, including many from his own library; the present copy is not included, suggesting it was a later addition to Ruzo's collection. The extensive pencil notations on the front pastedown include Ruzo's cryptographical interpretations of Nostradamus' verses--including an anagram of "Nostradamus" as "Mandat Russo" (roughly translated from the Spanish as a "command made by Russo"), which Ruzo has further marked with his own name to ensure no one could miss the joke. The present copy subsequently passed into the library of Elmar R. Gruber (b. 1955), psychologist, researcher, and noted collector of mediumistic art. His esoteric research led to an interest in Nostradamus, and he built a significant collection of Nostradamus material, culminating in his 2003 publication "Nostradamus: Sein Leben, sein Werk und die wahre Bedeutung seiner Prophezeiungen.".

203 x 127 mm. (8 x 5"). 4 p.l. (first blank), xxxii, 629, [3] pp. REGAL CONTEMPORARY RED MOROCCO, GILT, covers with French fillet border, central field semé with alternating fleur-de-lys and Louis XIV's stylized "L" topped with a crown, raised bands, spine compartments with crowned "L" at center, oblique fleur-de-lys at corners, marbled endpapers, olive green morocco label, all edges gilt. Printer's device on title page and four engraved plates, depicting the Entry into Jerusalem, the Crucifixion, the Descent into Hell, and the Resurrection. Front pastedown with morocco bookplate of Hans Fürstenberg; verso of front free endpaper with book label of the Fondation Fürstenberg. USTC 6098649. For the binding: Olivier, Pl. 2493, Fer no. 8. Top inner corner of covers a shade darker (but apparently not from moisture), boards tending to splay slightly, corners a bit bumped, endpapers with offsetting from binder's glue, but the binding lustrous, with very little wear to the joints, and generally pleasing. About a quarter of the leaves with small, faint dampstain at upper gutter, intermittent minor browning and foxing (more pronounced on a couple of quires), other unserious signs of devout use, but the text with nothing approaching a fatal defect. Bound for a distinguished library--and perhaps for a member of the French royal household--and with an illustrious modern provenance, this is a pleasing copy of a 17th century Parisian edition of the Office of Holy Week. The attractive engravings that accompany these paschal hours demonstrate the lush, graceful style that distinguished the fine late baroque printmakers. The scenes of the Crucifixion and Resurrection were engraved by Jean Morin (ca. 1605-50), whose innovation of combining engraving and etching on the same plate ushered in a new popular style of printmaking, and the depiction of the Entry into Jerusalem by Flemish artist Peter Paul Bouche (fl. ca. 1685-1702) is especially pleasing. But the story of this volume is its period binding. The owner who commissioned the binding may well have been a member of the noted Lamoignon family, whose celebrated library was built over several generations, but particularly by Chrétien-François de Lamoignon I (1644-1709), a cultivated man of letters and friend to writers such as Boileau and Racine. The "L" surmounted by a crown appears typically on the family bindings (though normally accompanied by the same cypher stamped in the margin of the third leaf of text, a stamp that is not present here). The impressive library was sold to bookseller Thomas Payne, and auctioned off in 1791-92. Equally (or, really, unequally) the repeating motif of Louis XIV's crowned "L" monogram could well indicate that this was the property of royalty. We have not been able to identify its specific owner, but this style of semis was not uncommon for royal bindings; the Russian National Library has two late 17th century examples with Louis XIV's own arms over an identical ground. According to Olivier, the semis repetition alternating the monarch's initial with a fleur-de-lys or with a specific royal's cipher became popular during the reign of Louis XIII and continued under his successors; "the result for royal bindings is a sort of uniformity in the ornamentation which seems to reflect, in the field of art, the unification and centralization of France." Our binding's crisp, precise tooling has survived beautifully despite apparent dedicated devotional use by its early owner. Our copy is further distinguished by coming from the collection of Hans (or Jean) Fürstenberg (1890-1982), a bibliophile of refined discrimination who assembled one of the great collections of the 20th century and whose books were noted for their outstanding condition. He put together one of the finest collections of 18th century French books ever assembled, and his library contained a discriminating selection of bindings from other periods, such as the present example.

172 x 118 mm. (6 3/4 x 4 3/4"). [3], 34 leaves, 35-39, [1] pp., [2] leaves. LOVELY CRIMSON CRUSHED MOROCCO, GILT AND ONLAID, BY CAPÉ (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers with onlaid green morocco cornerpieces and central quatrefoil, all filled and surrounded by delicate pointillé tooling in floral and paisley designs, raised bands, spine compartments tooled in pointillé, gilt lettering, richly gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In a felt-lined, morocco-lipped marbled paper slipcase. ENGRAVED THROUGHOUT, WITH 38 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS, consisting of one portrait, two allegorical religious scenes (including title), and 35 illustrations of the Holy Eucharist, 40 pages of engraved text, 37 of these with text flanked by full-length figures of saints, accompanied by other religious symbols at head and foot of page, two framed with vignettes of angels or the Madonna, one page with text only. Front pastedown with "A W F" book label of bookseller Adrian Fluhmann. Duportal, "Étude sur les livres à figures," pp. 244-45; Brunet V, 624; Graesse VI, 4; Leaves perhaps (very lightly) washed and pressed, but an extremely fresh, clean copy IN A SPARKLING BINDING. Covered by a luxurious binding by Capé, this is a particularly attractive copy of a sumptuously illustrated prayer book composed entirely of engraved plates. According to Duportal, it is "One of three important publications whose engravings reveal the trend characteristic of religious illustrations in France between 1601 and 1660." The work opens with a dedication to Charles d'Aubespine, Marquis de Châteauneuf (1580-1653), with a full-page portrait by Guillame de Gheyn (b. 1610). The bulk of the book is made up of two groups of plates. Those in the first group, appearing primarily on the rectos, contain prayers in Latin and French flanked by pairs of saints; gaps in the prayers are filled by naturalistic flowers, insects, and birds. Many of these plates also include a scene (or two) in miniature, depicting the life of one or both of the saints or a vignette of angels. While just two of these engravings are signed "J. Collin," they all appear to be in the same hand, which demonstrates an impressive level of finesse and delicacy, depicting graceful figures with sure, light lines. Duportal notes that this artist had a "talent charmant," and that well-executed dry-points of this type are quite rare in French books of the period. The second group of engravings appear strictly on the versos, and depict the performance of a part of the Mass, beneath a cloud in which appears a relevant scene from the life of Christ. They are all unsigned, and clearly by a different hand with more rustic features--possibly "copies of originals published abroad," according to Duportal. The book concludes with two leaves of text framed by gamboling putti and the Virgin. Copies of this work can be found with varying numbers of leaves and engravings (apparently the result of multiple reprintings with added material produced between 1651-53), but the present item can be distinguished as an early (if not the very first) edition, as it does not contain "Privilege du Roy" dated 1652 or 1653. Furthermore, our copy also contains the earliest state of the plates, without the "I N R I" initials on the cross found on the title page, and with the earlier state of the verso engravings (before they were substantially reworked). Our edition seems to be quite rare, with OCLC finding just one other copy with the same sequence of contents, at the Bibliothèque Sainte-Genevieve. The stunning binding by Capé looks just as fresh and lustrous as the day it left its workshop. One of the most distinguished binders in France in the middle years of the 19th century, Capé (d. 1867) was especially well known for the delicacy of his work--which can be appreciated to full effect in the present example. He was the binder to the Empress Eugénie, and Béraldi calls him "the Bozérian of the second Empire." This is precisely the kind of book our former owner, the discriminating connoisseur-bookseller Fluhmann, would have owned.

FIRST EDITION. 179 x 120 mm. (7 x 4 3/4"). 10 p.l., 496, 35, [1] pp. EXTREMELY FINE 19TH CENTURY RED MOROCCO BY HARDY (stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-in), covers with gilt coat of arms and French fillet border, raised bands, compartments ruled in gilt and with elegant gilt floral and foliate tooling, gilt lettering, gilt dentelles, all edges gilt. Front free endpaper with bookplate of poet Auguste P. Garnier (1885-1966). Tchemerzine IX, 332. âTrivial imperfections only: A VERY FINE COPY INSIDE AND OUT. In a very handsome binding by one of the most widely sought-after binders of the turn of the 20th century, this is a beautifully preserved volume of verse by a founding member of the Académie française. A protégé of Malherbe, Honorat de Bueil, Seigneur de Racan (1589-1670) is primarily known for his elegant pastoral and religious poetry, which, as Britannica notes, succeeds at "preserving the elegiac lyricism of an earlier age and foreshadowing the gentle melancholy of Alphonse de Lamartine." According to Tchemerzine, the present work is "the most complete edition of Racan's religious works," and is in large part composed of his verse interpretations of the Psalms. The Hardy atelier produced luxurious volumes, many of them armorial, for a range of 19th century connoisseurs. (Although we have not been able to identify the coat of arms on the covers, the crown with pearls indicates that the owner bore the title of "Comte.") Among other connections in the bibliopegic world, Henri Hardy employed Jean Marius Michel as a gilder near the start of his career; he also worked with Charles Meunier and Émile Mercier before meeting Robert Hoe in Paris and agreeing to come to New York in early 1896 to serve as foreman of the newly established Club Bindery. In 1917, Hardy, along with his compatriots Leon Maillard and Gaston Pilon, formed the French Binders, with the stated intention of "bringing together distinguished members of the craft to afford them opportunity to work under the most advantageous conditions." The present item is an excellent example of Hardy's earlier work, is in outstanding condition inside and out, and makes an excellent impression on the shelf. The bookplate on the flyleaf indicates that it was once owned by the French poet Auguste P. Garnier (1885-1966), who later ran the Garnier publishing house established by his family in 1833.

Second Elzevier Edition. 132 x 75 mm. (5 1/4 x 3"). 1 p.l., [3]-312, 315-329, [9] pp. FINE CONTEMPORARY BURGUNDY MOROCCO, covers with gilt triple ruled border, spine gilt in compartments with broad and stippled bands, fleuron cornerpieces, and floral centerpiece, marbled endpapers, turn-ins and all edges gilt. Woodcut initials, headpieces, and tailpiece, engraved title page depicting St. Martin slicing his cloak in two with his sword to share with the beggar. Front pastedown with a cardinal's large (17th century?) engraved armorial bookplate (rotated and trimmed to fit). Front pastedown and free endpaper with the morocco bookplates of Mortimer L. Schiff and of H. V. Ingram, respectively. Initial blank and last leaf each with small ownership stamp, that at rear of C. H. F. Curnillon, that at front hard to decipher, though perhaps reading "EBH." Willems 560; Rahir 552. âA few instances of light foxing and other trivial imperfections internally, but A REMARKABLY WELL-PRESERVED COPY, the binding bright and scarcely worn, and the text very fresh and clean, with virtually no signs of use. This is a most appealing little book containing the works of Severus, the fourth century ecclesiastical historian who gave up great wealth in exchange for Christian seclusion and holy exercises and who became an ardent follower of St. Martin of Tours. Our volume includes Severus' most famous work, his "Life of St. Martin," with its unforgettable pictures of this much venerated saint whose compassionate life includes the famous episode in which Martin cuts his cloak in half to share it with a beggar. Along with the "Life" are the "Dialogi Duo," which contains a reasoned review of the then prevailing bitter ecclesiastical feuds and provides information about these controversies not supplied from any other source. Also included is Severus' "Sacred History," a less original work summarizing events from creation to his own day, but one much used in the Middle Ages, when the author's correct and limpid Latin was greatly admired. Willems says this is the second Elzevier edition, containing the same material as the 1638 edition, but with the added continuation of the sacred history by Johannes Sleidanus (1506-56); Willems adds that the printing is "beautifully executed." This is a particularly lovely copy with distinguished provenance: it was previously in the library of the distinguished American bibliophile Mortimer Schiff (1877-1931), whose collection included works by great printers, important illustrated books, works printed on vellum, and fine and historic bindings; it was later owned by H. V. Ingram, a collector of fine bindings in the mold of Schiff, a large number of whose books Ingram subsequently possessed.