Philandrier, In decem libros Vitruvii de architectura annotationes, Rome, 1544, Venetian morocco gilt

Philandrier, Guillaume. Gulielmi Philandri Castilionii Galli civis ro. In decem libros M. Vitruvii Pollionis de architectura annotationes… Cum indicibus Graeco et Latino locupletissimis. (Rome: Giovanni Andrea Dossena, 1544)

First edition of Philandrier's commentary on Vitruvius; this was subsequently included in editions of the main text of Vitruvius (see lot 651) and influenced Daniele Barbaro's commentary. Philandrier had been a pupil of Sebastiano Serlio in Paris and he had this work printed while he was in Italy in the entourage of Bishop Georges d'Armagnac (Titian painted a dual portrait of them in Venice in the late 1530s); he was also able to further his researches alongside Italian humanist scholars of the time, such as Pirro Ligorio and Claudio Tolomei. Philandrier's commentary includes substantial quotations from Vitruvius, including some emendations of the standard text.

This is the first work in which Vitruvius's name appears in the form that is now generally acknowledged, Marcus Vitruvius Pollio.

It is thought that the printing was done by Antonio Blado on Dossena's behalf; Dossena was also a bookseller in Bologna. Both Blado and Dossena were connected with Giordano Ziletti of Venice, who reissued this work with a new title-page in 1557.

A very similar corner stamp was used by the Mendoza Binder (Andrea di Lorenzo); see Hobson, Renaissance Book Collecting, fig. 83.

8vo (154 x 95 mm). Italic type, 30 lines plus headline. collation: a⁸ A-Z⁸ &⁸ AA⁸ BB⁴: 212 leaves. Woodcut printer's device on title-page, woodcut initials and illustrations. (Paper flaw at foot of L7, V8 torn at foot, title-page and last leaf slightly stained.)

binding: Contemporary Venetian brown morocco (158 x 108 mm), gilt arabesque corner stamps, four corner stamps printed together to form a centrepiece, edges gilt and gauffered. (Upper joint split at head, lower joint cracked at foot, new pastedowns and rear flyleaf, some gilding rubbed.)

provenance: Jonas Hellwik (1711-1792), inscription on title-page (his library was mostly donated by his widow to Linköping library in 1793). acquisition: Purchased in 2014 from Meda Riquier Rare Books, London. references: BAL RIBA 2516; Edit16 34749