jamesgray2

ONE

The Letters of Marsilio Ficino represent an essential core of his thought and influence as a chief architect of the Platonic and Hermetic revival, the philosophical and revelatory center of the new learning that was revamping religious vision and humanistic enquiry Italian Renaissance.

525J Marsilio Ficino 1433-1499
           Epistolae Marsilii Ficini Florentini.

[Nuremberg]: Per Antonium Koberger impræsse, 1497                Price $30,000

Imprint from colophon. 

Chancery quarto 15 x 10cm. Signatures: π¹⁰,A-Z⁸ a-g⁸ h⁴(lacking blank leaf h⁴⁾; Errors in folation: D² signed C²; G² unsigned, G⁴ and G⁵ signed G³and G⁴. Final leaf blank and wanting. Colophon reads: Marsilii Ficini Florentini eloquentissimi viri epistolae familiares per Antonium Koberger impraesse anno incarnate deitatis Mccccxcviixxiiii Februarii finiunt foeliciter.

This copy is bound in seventh century, full vellum. With filled initial spaces, printed guide letters, foliation, without catchwords, The first initial letter is Illuminated with colours on gilt background with tendrils and an arabesque on margin, red and blue initial letters. One woodcut diagram. There is quite a bit of contemporary marginalia and underlining. (almost on every page) There is an ownership  note from the XVII century handwritten on title-front. Restoration on foot of spine, some damp staining. This copy is better than most of the copies that I have seen in person or online.

                   Paul Oskar Kristeller makes clear below that the Letters of Marsilio Ficino represent an essential core of his thought and influence as a chief architect of the Platonic and Hermetic revival, the philosophical and revelatory center of the new learning that was revamping religious vision and humanistic enquiry Italian Renaissance.

Excerpt from Paul Oskar Kristeller Preface to volume 1 of the Letters of Ficino:   

 “The Letters occupy in fact a very important place in Ficino’s work. As historical documents, they give us a vivid picture of his personal relations with his friends and pupils, and of his own literary and scholarly activities. As pieces of literature, edited and collected by himself, the letters take their place among other correspondences of the time and are a monument of humanistic scholarship and literature. Finally, the letters are conscious vehicles of moral and philosophical teaching and often reach the dimensions of a short treatise. 

Ficino began to collect his letters in the 1470’s, gradually arranged them in twelve books, had them circulated in numerous manuscript copies, and finally had them printed in 1495. The first book contains letters written between 1457 and 1476, and its manuscript tradition is especially rich and complicated. These letters derive great interest from the time of their composition, for they were written at the same time as some of the commentaries on Plato and as the Platonic Theology, Ficino’s chief philosophical work. 

The correspondents include many persons of great significance:

Cosimo and Lorenzo de’ Medici, and members of other prominent Florentine families, allied or hostile to the Medici at different times: Albizzi and Pazzi, Soderini and Rucellai, Salviati and Bandini, Del Nero, Benci and Canigiani, Niccolini, Martelli and Minerbetti. There are two cardinals, Francesco Piccolomini, the later Pius III, a famous patron and bibliophile, and Bessarion, the great defender of Platonism. There is Bernardo Bembo, Venetian patrician and ambassador, Giovanni Antonio Campano, bishop and humanist. Francesco Marescalchi in Ferrara, and Giovanni Aurelio Augurelli from Rimini. There are the friends of Ficino’s youth, Michele Mercati and Antonio Morali called Serafico, and his favourite friend, Giovanni Cavalcanti. There are philosophers and physicians, and there are numerous scholars, of different generations, who occupy a more or less prominent place in the annals of literature: Matteo Palmieri and Donato Acciaiuoli, Benedetto Accolti, Bartolomeo Scala and Niccolò Michelozzi, all connected with the chancery, Cristoforo Landino, Bartolomeo della Fonte and Angelo Poliziano, Francesco da Castiglione, perhaps Ficino’s teacher of Greek, and Antonio degli Agli, bishop of Fiesole and Volterra, Jacopo Bracciolini the son of Poggio, and Carlo Marsuppini, the son of the humanist chancellor of the same name, Benedetto Colucci and Lorenzo Lippi, Domenico Galletti and Francesco Tedaldi, Antonio Calderini and Andrea Cambini, Cherubino Quarquagli and Baccio Ugolini, known for their vernacular verse, and a number of Latin poets: Peregrino Agli, Alessandro Braccesi, Amerigo Corsini, Naldo Naldi and Antonio Pelotti.

ISTC,; if00155000; GW; 9874; Goff; F-155; IGI,; 3864; BM 15th cent.,; II, 443; BSB-Ink,; F-120

https://data.cerl.org/istc/if00155000

• North American Locations :
• Boston Public Library
• Harvard Library, Countway Library of Medicine (2)
• Bryn Mawr 
• Claremont Colleges
• College of Physicians Philadelphia
• Cornell Univ. 
• Free Library of Philadelphia
• Library of Congress, 
• Columbia University, 
• The Morgan Library 
• Pennsylvania State Univ.
• Sacramento Public 
• Smithsonian Institution, 
• Stanford Univ. 
• Newberry Library
• Univ. of California, 
• Univ. of Chicago 
• Univ. of Florida 
• Univ. of Kansas, 
• Univ. of Michigan, 
• Univ. North Carolina Library
• Yale University.
• University of Toronto

¹Marsilio Ficino as a Man of Letters and the Glosses Attributed to Him in the Caetani Codex of Dante, Paul Oskar Kristeller. Renaissance Quarterly Vol. 36, No. 1 (Spring, 1983), pp. 1-47 

TWO

671J Titus Livius (59BC-AD17) , Marcus Antonius Sabellicus.(1436-1506); Johannes Andreae, and others                  

[Titi Livii Historiae romanae decades I, III-IV, cum Johannis Andreae Epistola et L. Flori Epitome decadum XIV. Praemittuntur M.A. Sabellici epistola et annotationes.].

Venice : (no printer) [Johannes Rubeus Vercellensis], 5 Nov. 1491 Imprint: [Matteo Capcasa (di Codeca)], [Although the types are indistinguishable, the layout suggests Rubeus rather than Capcasa as the printer (Sheppard)]                                Price: $12,000

Super-chancery folio: 33.5 x 22 cm. Signatures π6, a¹⁰ b⁶ c¹⁰ d-n⁸ aa-ii⁸ kk-ll⁶, A-G⁸ H¹⁰
(π⁶, a¹,n⁸ blank and present) Bound in sixteenth century vellum. This copy is profusely annotated, from beginning to end by a clear contemporary hand.

 

There seems to controversies over who printed this volume. Goff, CIBN, IGI, and Polain assigns it to [Matteo Capcasa (di Codeca)]: Sheppard notes that, although the types are indistinguishable, the layout suggests Rubeus rather than Capcasa as the printer. BMC and Hain suggest another 1493 edition.

Fifteenth century Humanists saw Livy’s work as a model of classical eloquence, and his emphasis on traditional Roman virtues and stoicism proved immensely influential on Renaissance humanism. Additionally, Livy’s emphasis on the power of human agency in historical events was praised as a rejection of fatalism and a sign of the Renaissance focus on individualism and human potential. The text of Livius’ History survives in ten books referred to as Decade, but only three of the original fourteen were known in the late Middle Ages, with the first, third, and fourth books eventually circulating together.

His work was highly influential in the Renaissance and was widely read during the 15th century, particularly in Italy. Several Italian humanists, such as Leonardo Bruni and Poggio Bracciolini, made extensive use of Livy’s works in their own writings, and it is thought that Livy’s work played a significant role in shaping the humanist movement. “The Renaissance was a time of intense revival; the population discovered that Livy’s work was being lost and large amounts of money changed hands in the rush to collect Livian manuscripts.
The poet Beccadelli sold a country home for funding to purchase one manuscript copied by Poggio. Petrarch and Pope Nicholas V launched a search for the now missing books. Laurentius Valla published an amended text initiating the field of Livy scholarship. Dante speaks highly of him in his poetry, and Francis I of France commissioned extensive artwork treating Livian themes; Niccolò Machiavelli’s work on republics, the Discourses on Livy, is presented as a commentary on the History of Rome.”

Goff L245; Walsh 2421; Bod-inc L-123; H 10137*; ; GW M18491; Polain(B) 4529; IGI 5778; IBE 3530; Sheppard 4119; BSB- Ink L-193. 

https://data.cerl.org/istc/il00245000

THREE

448J. Jacobus de Gruytrode

Lavacrum conciencie [sic] omnibus sacerdotibus perutile

Lyptzck [Leipzig] : Gregor Böttiger, 1495.             Price $10,000

Quarto  12 x 9 cm. Signatures: a⁸ b-p⁶ q⁸.[Errors in foliation: lxxxviiii-xcviii foliated xc-xcviiii, with xc as cxi, xciiii as cxv]  Blank initial spaces. Bound in half leather of the 19th century, with quite a bit contemporary marginalia.

This “Soap of the Conscience” is filled with morally instructive stories intended to keep priests faithful to their vows and safe from worldly temptations, lest they suffer the “harshest punishments” of hell. In this work he tries in numerous moral and instructive stories to prove the nullity of worldly joys.

   Born in Gruitrode ca. 1400-10, Jacobus van Eertwach was a Carthusian monk who served as an abbot of the prior of the Liege from 1440 until his death in 1475, during which time he produced numerous works of spiritual guidance for both clergy and laypersons.  This treatise against immorality, especially the priests, which was first published in Nuremberg around 1488 and was attributed to Charterhouse, who died in 1482, with short stories and some German proverbs (e.g. on page XIIIv  On women and on “wein mag nyemant frolich gesein “

Although today the work is generally attributed to the Carthusian monk of German origin, Jacob von Gruytrode.     According to Theodor Petreius, Bibliotheca Cartusiana (Cologne, 1609), the actual author is Johannes Meskirchius  (Messkirch, d. 1511), a monk at the charterhouse of Güterstein near Stuttgart (for Messkirch see R. Deigendesch, ‘Bücher und ihre Schenker – Die Bücherlisten der Kartause Güterstein in Württemberg’, in S. Lorenz, ed., Bücher, Bibliotheken und Schriftkultur der Kartäuser. Festgabe zum 65. Geburtstag von Edward Potkowski, Stuttgart 2002, pp. 93-115. BMC assigns authorship to Jacobus de Gruytrode

ISTC il00099000  Goff L99; IBP 3382; Madsen 2157; Voull(B) 1383; Günt(L) 1205; Hubay(Würzburg) 1187; Pad-Ink 375; Wilhelmi 387; BSB-Ink L-71.050; GW 1388; 

Not in Hain, BMC, STC et c.

Two US Copies :  

Library of Congress 

and U Cal Law library. https://data.cerl.org/istc/il00099000

FOUR & FIVE

                              Annotated Sammelband incunabula

552Ji   Mateusz,; z Krakowa, Cardinal,; approximately 1330-1410.*

(Ars moriendi.) – Speculū artis bene moriēdi de temptatōnibus. penis infernalibus interrogatōibus agonisantium et varijs oratōnibus pro illorum salute faciendis.

 (Köln, Heinrich Quentell, about  1495).                      Price $9,000

Quarto  20 x 5 cm. Signatures: a⁶ b⁴ c⁶  With a nice Accipies woodcut on the title. – There is browning and usage staining, many marginal notes by the rubricator (somewhat truncated), title with ownership notes from the 17th century, upper white edge cut off, short pen note, endpaper with monastic ownership stamp.–Bound with the title below., Two works in one volume each are rubricated,  with numerous notes on every page!  The upper blank margin of the title cut off, monastic stamp to fly leaf.  In the Reginaldetus there is wear and some loss to the headline of last eight leaves. These two works are bound in early if not contemporary limp vellum with green linen ties and green edges. 

The Ars moriendi, or The art of dying, was intended to instruct the reader on the proper modes of behavior when facing death. The book was one result of the Church’s effort to educate the laity in the fundamentals of Christianity during the late medieval period. Gerson’s Opus tripartitum is the source of much of the work, with other material being drawn from the Bible, liturgies, and devotional and doctrinal literature of the period.  

  Ars moriendi is divided into six parts:m a selection of quotations on death from authoritative Christian sources; advice to the dying on how to overcome faithlessness, despair, impatience, pride, worldliness, and other temptations; a series of catechetical questions whose correct answers lead to salvation; instructions and prayers for imitating the dying Christ; practical advice for the dying individual; and, prayers to be said by those attending the dying.

Although the author of Ars moriendi is not known, the book is believed to have been written in Southern Germany at the time of the Council of Constance (1414-1418).    * Sometimes attributed to Matthaeus de Cracovia or to Albertus Magnus (and in Italian editions to Dominicus Capranica, Cardinal of Fermo); cf. A. Madre, Nikolaus von Dinkelsbühl (Beiträge zur Geschichte der Philos. u. Theol. des Mittelalters 40 (1965) p.292-295), and D. Mertens, Iacobus Carthusiensis (Göttingen, 1976) p.181

             http://dlib.gnm.de/item/N40    

https://data.cerl.org/istc/ia01098000

 Goff A1098; HC 14911*; Voull(K) 305; Schr 3671; Schramm VIII p.23; Pell 1339; CIBN A-598; Buffévent 45; Polain(B) 972; IDL 425; IBP 562; SI 372; Sallander 2046; Madsen 352; Šimáková-Vrchotka 171; Günt(L) 781; Voull(B) 1011; Voull(Trier) 697; Ohly-Sack 274; Sack(Freiburg) 306; Döring-Fuchs A-354; Bod-inc A-449; Sheppard 1051; Pr 1425; BMC I 294; BSB-Ink A-766; GW 2610

     Bound with 

552Jii Petrus, Reginaldetus

Speculu[m] finalis retributio[n]is tam bono[rum] operu[m] q[uam] malo[rum]: egregij sacre theologie doctoris: fratris Petri Reginaldeti: de ordine fratru[m] mino[rum]: In quo speculo diffuse elucidat[ur] co[n]templatio pena[rum] et gaudio[rum] eterna…

Basel, Jackob (Wolff) von Pforzheim,   1499              (price above)

Quarto; 20 x 5 cm . Signatures a-k⁸. 79 of 80 Leaves lacking the final leaf with the printers mark. Third edition of the only work by this Franciscan Friar.   Reginaldette, was from Tours: he was a peritus (an expert (as in theology or canon law) who advises and assists the hierarchy (as in the drafting of schemata) at a Vatican council) at the Council of Basel in 1434 A.D..

The title “Speculum finalis retributionis tam bonorum operum quam malorum” has been added by the translator, but the information is taken from the text which follows. The Totani family is from L’Aquila in Italy, and perhaps it was the memory and example of St. Bernadine of Sienna, who had died there nearly a half century earlier, that prompted Friar Guillermo to preserve this work of Franciscan preaching, which is so characteristic of the reform in the Order of the Friars Minor, which the Saint had promoted.

 II. Goff R-91; BMC III, 778. Walsh 1237; Hain 13774; GW M37420; *; GfT 1008; Pell Ms 10037 (9821); CIBN R-52 Günt(L) 427; Voull(B) 552; Pr 7709; BMC III 778; BSB-Ink R-57. 

  

United States:

Houghton Library, Columbia University, Burke, Free Library of Philadelphia, La Casa del Libro, Library of Congress, Huntington Library, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Univ. of Kentucky, 

https://data.cerl.org/istc/ir00091000

SIX

411G Cicero 106 B.C.-44 B.

Epistolarum familiarium…libri XVI, ex Christophori Lo[n]golij eloquentiss. oratoris castigationibus recogniti, quàm antè hac multò etia[m] à mendis curiosiùs adserti; elenchum eorum, quae adiecimus, versa habet pagina

Coloniae : Apud Viduam Marini Gymnici, 1551                                     Price $3,300

Edited by Christophorus Longolius (Christophe de Longueil)   with notes by Philipp Melanchthon, Christoph Hegendorph (Hegendorf), and Gisbert Longolius (Gilbert de Longueil)

Octavo: 6 1/2 x  4 inches  *-**⁸ A-2Z⁸ 3A⁸(-3A8) .

Bound in Contemporary tawed pigskin, the boards  tooled in blind, including the use of a signed roll (“K”) incorporating symbols of the Evangelists and abbreviated biblical passages. The roll is a similar for one assigned to the workshop of Nuremberg bookbinder (Einbanddatenbank 124045b).

Original brass clasps intact and functional. Printer’s device on title page; initials.  There is some Light to moderate dampstaining through the second half of the book the last three with open tears resulting in textual loss (the worst leaves with perhaps a square inch of loss); title page dusty and darkened at the edges; the final leaf backed with an early sheet of laid paper. Binding soiled and worn at the extremities, exposing some board edge; likely re-cased at some point, with the original front fly-leaf removed There is an  Ownership inscription on title page of Franz Christoph Khevenhüller, Graf zu Frankenburg (1588-1650), a published historian (Annales Ferdinandei) and official of high rank during the Thirty Years War.

This book has numerous early interlinear glosses and marginalia across fourteen pages, a few of the annotations rather extensive. Beyond working through grammar and syntax—and there is plenty of that—the scattered use of first-person pronouns suggests more personal engagement with the text. Responding to the editor’s summary of a letter to Nigidius Figulus on p. 134, for example, our annotator begins, “recordabor bene” (“I will remember well…”). On p. 133, he notes in the margin, “I will better move myself toward these ways” (“Incia[m] mihi conversatione[m] eoru[m]”)

Gymnich first issued his edition of Cicero’s Epistolae ad familiares in 1538, including, as here, the commentary of Philipp Melanchthon. Also includes notes by Christoph Hegendorph (Hegendorf) and Gisbert Longolius (Gilbert de Longueil), which Gymnich added to his 1542 edition.   

Cicero’s Epistolae ad familiares was one the most popular and influential works of the early modern West, and one of the most frequently used schoolbooks.

“Written rather than oral texts, apparently personal and informal rather than public and theatrical, these offered the student a vast range of models of prose rather than the highly formal one of Cicero’s oratory. They also seemed more appropriate models for young men whose future tasks would involve far more document preparation than public speaking. Accordingly, students at early stages of their education, from Strasbourg to Rome, spent large amounts of time reading, translating, and imitating Cicero’s letters” (Grafton). 

 Gymnich’s widow, published only half a dozen other editions all between  1551 and 1552.

REFERENCES:  This edition not in VD16 or USTC  

c.f. Anthony Grafton, Bring Out Your Dead (Harvard University Press, 2001), p. 109-110

Ownership inscription of Franz Christoph Khevenhüller, Graf zu Frankenburg (1588-1650)