Alphabetum graecum, [Venice, c. 1558], contemporary paper binding decorated with woodcuts

Alphabetum Graecum. Alphabetum Graecum. De potestate literarum, ac divisione earundem... [Venice: Giovanni Varisco?, not before 1558]

Exceedingly rare contemporary pictorial printed wrappers.

8vo (148 x 101 mm). Roman and Greek type, 27 lines plus headline. collation: A⁸: 8 leaves. Woodcut printer's device of a siren (CNCM 1435, used by Ravani 1538-1556 and Varisco 1558-1566). (Early ownership inscription to title-page effaced, light marginal soiling.)

binding: Contemporary wrappers printed with woodcut illustrations (148 x 101 mm), the upper cover depicting a knight with helm and armor on horseback, the rear cover a knight dressed for court on a rearing horse. Housed in a blue morocco pull-off case. (Scattered soiling to covers, mostly marginal, skillful repairs to spine and edges, wormhole on rear cover repaired.)

provenance: Reiss & Sohn, Königstein, 28-29 April 2020, lot 115. acquisition: Purchased from Libreria Antiquaria Mediolanum, Milan, 2022. references: Edit16 1231