Josephus, L'histoire escripte premierement en grec, Paris, 1530, contemporary Parisian black morocco gilt
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December 10, 04:10 PM GMT
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
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Description
JOSEPHUS, FLAVIUS. Lhistoire escripte premierement en Grec par Josephus le Juif autheur tresnoble & ancien. Et en apres mise en Latin don’t elle a este depuis faicte Francoyse. Contenant les guerres qui furent au pays de Judee puys le temps que la Cite de Hierusalem fut premierement prinse par le Roy Antyochus entretenue iusques a la tierce destruction dicelle par Vaspasien lempereur et Tytus son filz. Paris: Galiot du Pré (Nicolas Savetier for Galiot du Pré, Poncet le Preux and Claude Chevallon, 8 October) 1530
A finely-printed edition of Josephus in an elegant binding with distinguished provenance. The binding can be attributed to the Salel Binder, though some of the tools also appear on bindings by Jean Picard and the Fleur-de-lis Binder for Grolier and by Étienne Roffet for François I. The book was presumably in England by 1544, which provides a terminus ante quem for the Parisian binding.
Sir Henry Knyvett (1510-1547) was a prominent member of Henry VIII’s court, as well as a close relation of Anne Boleyn and the dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk. Anthony St Leger (ca 1496-1559) was Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1540, though is known to have returned to England briefly in 1544 when he was appointed as a Knight of the Garter.
This is the second French edition of Josephus’s Jewish Wars, following Vérard’s of ca 1492, translated by Claude de Seyssel for (and perhaps by the order of) Charles VIII.
Folio (332 x 215 mm). Black letter, 64 lines plus headline, double column. collation: a6 b8 c-z6 A-L6 M4: 209 leaves (of 210, without final blank). Title printed in red and black within an architectural woodcut border, woodcut initials and illustrations (some full-page), ruled in red. (Upper corner of d6 torn, just touching text, repaired tear at foot of e1, occasional light staining, rear flyleaf slightly torn.)
binding: Contemporary Parisian black morocco gilt (340 x 230 mm), probably by the Salel Binder, two interlaced panels with leafy centrepiece and corner fleurons, outer gilt arabesque border, spine with small flower stamp in each compartment and later red morocco lettering-piece, traces of gilding on edges, stubs from two pairs of blue ties. (Binding slightly rubbed, some repairs to edges and corners and ends of spine.)
provenance: Calligraphic presentation inscription by Henry Knyvett to Anthony St Leger (both gentlemen of the Privy Chamber) on a vellum leaf bound at end, with painted and gilt armorials of St Leger and Knyvett at head, dated 12 June 1544 — Stephen Potts (London bookseller on Aldersgate Street in the 1620s), note on rear flyleaf stating “I warrant this book to want noe leaves, June 162[1?]" — Lord Braybrooke, armorial bookplate (presumably Richard Griffin, 3rd Baron Braybrooke, 1783-1858), by descent to — R.H.C. Neville (1932-2017), 10th Baron Braybrooke, sale of a selection of books from the library at Audley End, Sotheby’s, 22-23 June 1970, lot 46 (catalogue extract pasted to inside front cover), £650, to Maggs — [Harry A. Levinson, Los Angeles, purchased from him in 1970 by] — Arthur and Charlotte Vershbow, booklabel, sale, Christie’s New York, 9 April 2013, lot 28. acquisition: Purchased at the preceding sale. references: Bechtel J-166 (with name of Poncet le Preux on title-page); Fairfax Murray, French 294; USTC 8418; exhibited: David P. Becker, Fact and Fantasy: illustrated books from a private collection [Cambridge, Mass.]: Harvard College Library, Department of Printing and Graphic Arts, 1976, no. 24 [catalogue of an exhibition held at the Houghton Library, Harvard University, 5 November-31 December 1976]