Dionysius Halicarnaseus, Antiquitates romanae, Treviso, 1480, half calf over wooden boards

DIONYSIUS HALICARNAEUS

Antiquitates romanae [translated by Lampugninus Biragus]. Treviso: Bernardinus Celerius, 24 or 25 February 1480

Chancery folio (296 x 218mm.), 300 leaves, [a¹⁰ b-g⁸ h-i⁶ k-z A-O⁸ P⁶], 37 lines, roman type, initial spaces, last three words of [d]8 stamped by hand alongside catchword, early annotations, contemporary blind-ruled half calf over wooden boards, two clasps, later manuscript fragments in binding (from a modern repair), some deckle edges, modern brown morocco-backed drop-back box, a few wormholes in last few leaves and in gutter, one leaf with a repaired tear (affecting text but with minimal loss), binding rebacked and repaired retaining some of the original calf, lacking both straps

FIRST EDITION. A crisp wide-margined copy with extensive contemporary annotations in the first part of the volume by Valentinus de Brieda (see provenance). Dionysius's history of the early years of Rome, composed in Greek, was written in Rome during the reign of Augustus, slightly pre-dating the better known history of Livy. He discusses at great length the foundation myths of Rome, emphasising in particular its Greek origins. The translation into Latin here is by Lampugnino Birago, which he carried out in 1468-69 at the behest of Paul II (whose name appears in manuscript on the upper cover of this volume).

LITERATURE:

ISTC id00250000

PROVENANCE:

Valentinus de Brieda of Serravalle (modern Vittorio Veneto), inscription on final verso stating the book was bought in Treviso, 8 October 1481, for 6 libri; a further inscription below stating that it was subsequently bought from Valentinus on 14 November 1486; Ludwig Rosenthal, Munich, catalogue 169 (1920), item 58

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