Aretino, Lettere, Venice, Torresano, 1539, Parisian medallion calf binding

Aretino, Pietro. Le lettre di M. Pietro Aretino, di nuovo con la gionta ristampate, e con somma diligenza ricorrette. (Venice: Giovanni Padovano for Federico Torresano), 1539

The first collection of Aretino's letters was printed in Venice by Francesco Marcolini in January 1538 (though with a long list of errata); Marcolini issued a second (corrected and expanded) edition in September that year, and this Torresano edition is already at least the fifth to appear. A further five volumes of Aretino's letters were printed by 1557.

Hobson dates the use of this binding stamp to Paris, ca. 1540-1548, and lists eleven bindings using this plaquette (not including the present volume). Although the plaquette is attributed to a follower of Valerio Belli, it only seems to appear on French bindings.

8vo (162 x 95 mm). Italic type, 30 lines. collation: A-Z⁸ AA-FF⁸: 232 leaves. Woodcut portrait of Aretino on title-page and final verso (otherwise blank), ruled in red. (A few pencil markings, slight damp-staining at end.)

binding: Contemporary Parisian calf gilt (166 x 103 mm), border composed of blind and gilt fillets with small fleurs-de-lys and stars at corners, central gilt plaquette of a winged genius holding a globe by a follower of Valerio Belli, spine with small gilt tool in each compartment, gilt edges, stubs from two pairs of ties. (Binding refurbished with repairs at corners and ends of spine.)

provenance: [Alfred Hopkins, 1870-1941, mentioned by him in "Old leather and burnished gold", The Colophon, 14 (1937)] — Christie, Manson & Woods, New York, 15 December 2005, lot 327, $3,600. acquisition: Purchased from Christie's sale. references: Cataldi Palau 160; Edit16 2408 (listing 4 copies); not in UCLA or Renouard; A. Hobson, Humanists and Bookbinders, census of plaquette bindings, no. 123