Chrysoloras, Erotemata; Musaeus, Opusculum de Erone et Leandro, Alcalá de Henares, 1514, vellum

Manuel Chrysoloras and Musaeus

Two works in Greek, printed in Alcalá by Arnao Guillén de Brocar, in one volume, comprising:

MANUEL CHRYSOLORAS. Ερωτηματα. Erotemata. De formatione temporum ex libro chalcondylae. Quartus gazae de constructione. De anomalis verbis. De encliticis. Sententiae monostichi ex variis poetis. (Alcalá de Henares: Arnao Guillén de Brocar, 10 April 1514), large woodcut armorial of Cardinal Jiménes on title-page, parallel text in Greek and Latin, woodcut printer's device at end

MUSAEUS. Ποιηματιον τα κατ'ηρω και λεανδρον. Opusculum de erone et leandro [edited by Demetrios Doukas]. (Alcalá de Henares): [Arnao Guillén de Brocar, c. 1514], 8 leaves, text in Greek, large woodcut armorial of Cardinal Jiménes on title-page

2 works in one volume, 4to (206 x 142mm.), modern vellum, numerous early annotations in different hands (some in red ink), title-pages and a few other leaves with paper repairs, some marginal annotations in corrosive ink causing slight damage in quire T

THE FIRST GREEK GRAMMAR PRINTED IN SPAIN. A RARE VOLUME OF GREEK WORKS PRINTED IN ALCALA, in the font designed for the Complutensian Polyglot Bible. They were both produced (and perhaps financed) by the Cretan scholar Demetrios Doukas.

The colophon for the Musaeus states the involvement of Cardinal Francisco Jiménes and the skill of Demetrios Doukas "the Cretan"; Doukas had been brought to Alcalá by the Cardinal to work on his Complutensian Polyglot, printed in 1514-1522.

Chrysoloras's grammar, in question and answer format, was the most widely-used grammar of the fifteenth century, partly due to the epitomised version produced by Guarino Veronese. This is a reprint of the 1512 Aldine edition of the full text, which Doukas had also worked on. See lots 48-49 for other editions.

We have not been able to find any sale records for these works.

LITERATURE

IB 3243 & 4879 (listing 18 and 7 copies respectively); Martín Abad 407 & 1090; Palau 67956 & 186423; Chrysoloras: Botley, Learning Greek in Western Europe 1396-1529, Appendix I:55

PROVENANCE

Ex bibliotheca Petri Joan[--]; Domenico [--], faded inscriptions on title-page