Aristophanes, Comoediae novem, Basel, 1547, contemporary French calf

Folio (324 x 215 mm). Greek type, 54 lines of commentary plus headline. collation: [fleuron]⁶ a-z A-Z Aa⁶ Bb⁴ Cc-Dd⁶: 304 leaves. Woodcut initials and headpieces, woodcut printer’s device on final verso. (Occasional light foxing.)

binding: Contemporary French (Parisian?) calf gilt (330 x 229 mm), title lettered in gilt within a gilt cartouche at head of upper cover, central roundel of outline leafy tools within concentric blind-ruled circles, small hole in centre of each circle (presumably for the compass to draw the fillets), outer frame of gilt and blind fillets, flat spine elaborately gilt with outline leafy tools, board edges with gilt decoration, gilt edges. (Rebacked retaining most of original spine, a few small stains or scrapes with a few repairs to foot of upper cover and to board edges.)

provenance: J. & J. Leighton, London, Catalogue of early-printed and other interesting books, manuscripts, &c, part X, [1905], item 6331, copy of entry loosely inserted — Henry B. Wheatley (1838-1917), armorial bookplate, his sale, Sotheby’s, 9 April 1918, lot 474 (described as an Italian binding) — Ernst Philip Goldschmidt (1887-1954), black morocco booklabel — Madame Théophile Belin, sale, Paris, Giraud-Badin, 19-20 February 1936, lot 24 (extract from sale catalogue loosely inserted) — Henri Burton (died 1971), red morocco booklabel, sale, Christie’s, New York, 22 April 1994, lot 79. acquisition: Purchased at the preceding sale. references: VD16 A 3268