Description

Lyon: Appresso Guglielmo Rovillio, 1553. 4to. Cont. vellum; [8], 172, [4]; 248, [8]pp. Indices (of medallions). 2 parts in 1, each with a title page. In Italian. Lavishly illustrated with 828 medallion woodcut portraits. Title pages with woodcut vignettes. Decently cool manicule on pg. 128 of the first part. Very good. Vellum lightly soiled, hand lettering on spine partly effaced. Old water stain at top fore-corner of a few final leaves. Text leaves lightly browned and some old soiling. Miniscule burn mark affecting a few pages. One leaf with a horizontal tear repaired. One medallion woodcut “glued over” – not clear if original or a repair. Pg. 5 incorrectly numbered 13. Bookplate on front pastedown. Overall a fairly impressive copy. This is the oldest complete book in the List. A numismatic book from 1553 comprising portrait medallions (and short descriptions) of 828 celebrated men and women from antiquity to modern times. A true “who’s who” of antiquity. Portraits include Adam, Abraham, Dionysius, Bacchus, Dante, various Turkish personalities including Hayreddin Barbarossa. Women in the book include Cleopatra and Joanna the Mad. Buy it for the history lessons; keep it for the cool woodcuts; ponder who would be included in a modern-day update. Three editions of this work (in French, in Italian, and in Latin) were all first printed in 1553. This is the Italian first edition.

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