Anthologia graeca, Venice, Aldus, 1521, chestnut morocco gilt by the Fugger Binder

Anthologia Graeca. Florilegium diversorum epigrammatum in septem libros, solerti nuper repurgatum cura MDXXI. Ανθολογια διαφορων επιγραμματων... (Venice: in the house of Aldo Manuzio & Andrea Torresano, January 1521)

The Fortuna stamp also appears on bindings made for Cardinal Perrenot de Granvelle.

8vo (159 x 100 mm). Greek type, 30 lines plus headline. collation: A-Z⁸ AA-MM⁸ NN¹⁰: 290 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso (otherwise blank). Early manuscript annotations.

binding: Chestnut morocco gilt by the Fugger Binder (164 x 114 mm), central stamp of Fortuna with a dolphin stamp below, concentric frames composed of blind and gilt fillets, corner gilt fleurons, blind-tooled spine with later calf lettering-piece, edges colored red and blue (later?), stubs from four pairs of ties. (Extremities slightly rubbed.)

provenance: Franciscus Hermannus van Bergen, inscription on title-page stating that he bought the book in Padua on 10 January 1654 — Sir Robert Leighton (1884-1959), sale, Sotheby & Co., 17-18 October 1960, lot 729, £60 — Sir Peter Smithers (1913-2006), sale, Sotheby's, 5 February 1973, lot 153, £130. acquisition: Purchased from Bernard Quaritch, London, 1973. references: UCLA 195; Cataldi Palau 63; Edit16 1973; Renouard 93/17; A. Hobson, Renaissance Book Collecting (1999), appendix 8: Bindings by the Fugger Binder, no. 15