- 144
Plinius Secundus, Gaius
Estimate
600 - 800 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Naturalis historiae libri XXXVII e castigationibus Hermolai Barbari ac codici in alemania impressi que emendatissime editi. (Venice: Melchiorre Sessa and Pietro Ravani, 24 March 1525)
- Paper
Folio (286 x 193mm.), title printed in red and black within woodcut border, woodcut printer's device on title-page and final verso, woodcut initials, woodcut illustrations (including maps of Europe and Africa), early annotations in different hands (some cropped), without final blank leaf, modern calf tooled in period style with gilt cornerpieces, without second part (index), a5 torn and repaired on verso, g7 with small hole caused by ink corrosion, occasional staining, last few leaves very stained with a few small wormholes, A7 repaired at fore-edge
Literature
Censimento 16 CNCE 30074; Cleveland Herbal 35; Sander 5764 (all for both parts); Western Travellers in China 3
Condition
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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
The woodcuts are copied from the 1513 Sessa edition; Lilian Armstrong opines that they were designed by Benedetto Bordon ("Benedetto Bordon, Miniator, and cartography in early sixteenth-century Venice", Imago Mundi 48 (1996), pp.72 and 78).
Pliny is our main source for details of the silk trade and silk production in Roman times; he also mentions the flow of Roman coinage to the east to pay for the silk and pearls.
Loosely inserted is a sheet of Italian manuscript dating from the 1750s regarding an inheritance of the heirs of Federigo de' Ricci in Florence.