Juvenalis, Decimus Junius

4to (270 x 193mm.), 96 leaves, [a-b¹⁰ c-i⁸ k-l¹⁰], 41 lines of commentary, roman type, 2-line initial spaces, headlines supplied in red ink, a few early annotations, remains of manuscript quiring, eighteenth-century Italian vellum (endleaves with a watermark of the Medici arms), occasional light staining, some strengthening around sewing, marginal paper repair to h1, quire i misbound, k5v with some faintly-printed text supplied in manuscript, binding slightly soiled

Piero di ser Francesco Sini, Florence (notaio, mentioned by Varchi in his Florentine History for the year 1527), "chi lo truova melo venda", early sixteenth-century inscription at end; "De Sig.^a Pitti" (?), ink inscription on flyleaf; "Bertii Niccoletii", inscription at head of first leaf; Bibl. Caes. Med. Palat., i.e. library of the Medici and Lorraine Grand Dukes, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, armorial stamp on first leaf (much of this library was given to the Biblioteca nazionale centrale di Firenze in 1771); Anton Francesco Gori (1691-1757, Florentine antiquarian), bookplate; William O'Brien, bequest bookplate dated 1899

Goff J642; HC 9688; BMC v 214; BSB-Ink I-678; Bod-inc J-304; GW M15783; Grosjean & O'Connell 75

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."

FIRST EDITION of Calderini's commentary on Juvenal, dedicated to Giuliano de' Medici; the dedication manuscript, produced in September 1474, is still in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. Calderini details the errors made by Niccolò Perotti (the Brotheus of the title) in his edition of Pliny, in response to Perotti's criticism of Calderini's commentary on Martial. He also listed the errors in the Paradoxa in Iuvenalem of Angelo Sabino, a friend of Perotti's. There were more than twenty editions of Calderini's text published in the fifteenth century, yet Sabino's Paradoxa appeared just once, in Rome in 1474. Calderini's rhetoric proved effective.

The work is from the press of Jacobus Rubeus, or Jacques le Rouge, a Frenchman associated with Nicolas Jenson, who set up shop in Venice in 1473, and later moved to Pinerolo, acting more as an importer of books than a printer. He also produced editions of Calderini's commentaries on Martial and Ovid.