Basil, saint, archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia

folio (320 x 193mm.), ff. [7 (of 8)], 142; 160; 292, printed in red and black, full-page woodcut of St Basil the Great opposite start of text, woodcut headpieces and initials, red printing supplied in manuscript on f. 262 of third section, a few neat manuscript annotations, contemporary Russian blind-tooled morocco over bevelled wooden boards, one clasp (of two), lacking title-page, lacking ff.101-104 in first section and ff.97 and 100 and 186-187 in third section (supplied in neat contemporary manuscript), without final blank leaf, first few leaves becoming detached, a few marginal tears and wormholes, f.51 in first section torn and repaired in gutter with a few letters replaced in manuscript, ff.58-68 in first section with repaired marginal wormhole, page numeral on f.176 damaged, ff.262-263 pasted together at head, occasional light browning, binding rubbed, spine creased

inscription at foot of first few leaves of text

Nemirovskii 121; not in Cleminson

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The printer of this work is now considered to be Petr Timofeev Mstislavets, who had previously worked with Ivan Fedorov in Moscow in the 1560s. After their Moscow workshop was burned down, they moved to Zabludov, then went their separate ways, Fedorov to Lvov, Mstislavets to Vilnius, before both reaching Ostrog in the 1570s, producing the Ostrog Bible together in 1581. Fedorov left Ostrog soon after but Mstislavets stayed to print under the patronage of Prince Ostrogsky.

Basil the Great (329-379AD) is considered the father of eastern monasticism, and this is one of his works on the benefits to the soul of an ascetic life.

Very rare. The only other copy we can trace at auction is the Diaghilev-Lifar copy, sale, Sotheby's Monte Carlo, 29 November 1975, lot 399 (now in Harvard College Library). Nemirovskii lists eleven copies in Russian libraries, but outside Russia we have only found a copy in the Bavarian State Library in Munich.