Strada, Imperatorum romanorum omnium imagines, Zurich, 1559, contemporary vellum

Strada, Jacopo. Imperatorum Romanorum omnium Orientalium et Occidentalium verissimae imagines ex antiquis numismatis quam fidelissime delineatae. Addita cuiusque vitae descriptione ex thesauro Iacobi Stradae et perbrevi elogio uniuscuiusque carmine, quod quasi epitome est historiae, ad iuvandum memoriam. Zurich: Andreas Gessner, 1559

A magnificent book of numismatic portraits of Roman emperors with rich and elegant decoration. The portraits were the work of Hans Rudolf Manuel Deutsch, engraved by Rudolf Wyssenbach and Christoph Schweitzer, with arabesque decoration by Peter Flötner (many of Flötner's designs resemble lace patterns; see lot 545). The subject of the book, Roman emperors from (the dictator) Julius Caesar to Charles V, reinforced the Habsburg message of continuity and legitimacy.

Strada himself made no real contribution to this publication, which reproduced a series of large woodcut portraits using Strada's descriptions from his own Epitome thesauri antiquitatum (lot 620).

Folio, printed on single sheets (480 x 362 mm). Roman type. collation: a⁶ A-V⁶: 126 leaves (a6 and V6 blank). Title within woodcut border, each page within a woodcut frame, large woodcut medallion portraits, numerous arabesque woodcut ornaments, woodcut printer's device at end. (First few quires repaired in gutter, occasional marginal foxing.)

binding: Contemporary limp vellum with black tooling (482 x 380 mm), initials B N stamped on upper cover, blue edges, stubs from four pairs of ties. In modern black morocco drop-backed box. (Binding refurbished with later pastedowns causing slight cockling, slightly rubbed and soiled.)

provenance: B N, initials on binding — Pierre Jammes (1925-2009), sale, Sotheby's Paris, 12 October 2010, lot 267. acquisition: Purchased at the preceding sale. references: Dekesel S74; VD16 I 98