[Bible. Latin] Sacra Biblia, Basel, 1526, dark brown lettered morocco gilt, Beckford-Hoe copy

4to (227 x 142 mm). Roman type, 53 lines plus headline. collation: α⁶ a-z⁴ aa-zz⁴ Aa-Zz⁴ AA-TT⁴: 466 leaves. Title-page with woodcut device, initials and capital letters finely illuminated in gilt and colours, ruled in red. (Woodcut device on TT4 cut out and laid down on a blank leaf supplied at end, some marginal dampstaining).

binding: Parisian dark brown morocco gilt (232 x 152 mm), circa 1540, possibly by Étienne Roffet, upper cover with "BIBLIA|AD FIDEM|LXX INTER|PRETVM TRALATA" in lapidary capitals within a large cartouche composed of solid leafy arabesques and fleurons, outer frame of blind and gilt fillets, spine with small gilt fleuron in compartments, stubs from 4 pairs of blue silk ties, edges gilt, in a modern black cloth box. (Spine and corners restored).

provenance: William Beckford (1760-1844), his sale, Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 4 July 1882, lot 879 ("beautiful copy, with the numerous Initials and Capital Letters exquisitely illuminated in gold and colours, old black morocco, covered with gold tooling in the Grolier style..."), bought by — Léon Techener, Paris (£18 10s) — Catalogue de livres précieux manuscrits et imprimés provenant la bibliothèque particulière de M. Léon Techener, libraire à Paris, Paris, 10-14 May 1887, lot 1 — Robert Hoe (1839-1909), Anderson Galleries, Catalogue of the library of Robert Hoe of New York. Part II: A to K, New York, 8-12 January 1912, lot 661 — Librairie Théophile Belin, Paris, Livres des XVe et XVIe siècles dans leurs reliures originales (Paris 1914), item 34 and pl. 19 — Laure Eugénie (née Pillet) Belin, widow of Pierre-Victor-Théophile Belin (1851-1921), sale, Bibliothèque de Mme Th. Belin, Paris, 19-20 February 1936, lot 30 and Pl. 16. acquisition: Purchased in 1989 from Martin Breslauer Inc., New York. references: VD16 B 2887; USTC 691868; Darlow & Moule 6106