Vegetius, I quattro libri della medicina de cavalli, Venice, 1544, Apollo and Pegasus binding by Guillery for Grimaldi
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December 10, 04:10 PM GMT
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40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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VEGETIUS RENATUS, FLAVIUS. I quattro libri di Vegetio Renato della medicina de cavalli et altri giumenti overo dell'arte di maniscalchi, tradotti della latina nella lingua volgare. (Venice: Michele Tramezzino, 1544)
Another volume from the celebrated library of the Genoese banker Giovanni Battista Grimaldi (ca 1524-ca 1612), with his distinctive Apollo and Pegasus medallion on the covers. Grimaldi's advisor for the creation of his library was Claudio Tolomei, who has signed the privilege for the Papal States issued by Paul III and printed on Aa2-3.
First edition in Italian of Vegetius's treatise on horse medicine and husbandry; the first Latin edition was printed in Basel in 1528. Vegetius owned and bred horses himself and wrote his treatise for the wealthy horse owner.
8vo (153 x 102 mm). Italic type, 28 lines plus headline. collation: Aa8 Bb4 A-R8: 148 leaves. Woodcut printer's device on title-page, woodcut diagram on L6r. (Small tear at foot of I7.)
binding: Contemporary Roman red morocco gilt (158 x 113 mm), by Marcantonio Guillery for Giovanni Battista Grimaldi, central Apollo and Pegasus medallion stamped horizontally with traces of green and gold paint, surrounded by gilt lettering ΟΡΘΩΣ ΚΑΙ ΜΗ ΛΘΧΙΩΣ [sic, for λοχιως], lettered at head of each cover VEGETIO RENATO, outer frame of blind and gilt fillets with leafy decoration, spine with gilt fillets across bands, gilt edges. In modern perspex slipcase. (Ends of spine repaired, extremities slightly rubbed.)
provenance: Giovanni Battista Grimaldi (ca 1524-ca 1612), impresa on binding — Edoardo Moretta (died 1901), of Genoa, listed in his library catalogue of 1902 — Édouard Rahir, red gilt booklabel, sale, Henri Baudoin & Fernand Lair-Dubreuil, Paris, 7-9 May 1930, lot 240 — Lucien Graux (1878-1944), red gilt booklabel, sale, Maurice Rheims and Jacqueline Vidal-Mégret, Paris, 26 January 1957, lot 124 — [Maurice Loncle, according to von Arnim] — H.P. Kraus, New York, sold in 1961 to — Otto Schäfer (1912-2000), his OS stamp at end, sale of books from the Otto-Schäfer-Stiftung, Schweinfurt, Sotheby's, New York, 8 December 1994, lot 191. acquisition: Purchased at the preceding sale. references: Edit16 35134; A. Hobson, Apollo and Pegasus, list of Apollo and Pegasus bindings no. 137; De Marinis, Legatura artistica no. 747