Lucanus, Poema, Lyon, Guillaume Huyon, 1521, early sixteenth-century North Italian brown morocco, the Dunn copy

Lucanus, Marcus Annaeus. Poema nuperrime impressum atque ad amussim castigata. 1521. Lyon: Guillaume Huyon [for heirs of Baldazare de Gabiano?], 10 July 1521

A Lyon counterfeit. The colophon reads: "in officina Guillelmi huyon calchographi," yet Baudrier attributes to the heirs of Baldazare de Gabiano. Another copy, bound in vellum, was sold in the Libri sale, Sotheby's, 1861, lot 4303: "One of the rarest of the Aldine Counterfeits (Renouard No. 58) a copy of which falling into M. Renouard's hands first led him to trace these Lyonese Forgeries to their fountainhead. His copy sold for £7. at his Sale in 1828."

8vo (166 x 100 mm). Italic type, 32 lines plus headline. collation: a-q⁸ r⁴: 132 leaves. Woodcut border to title-page in black and red, woodcut initials. (Closed marginal tear to title-page, scattered light foxing, ink stain to g8, lacking final blank.)

binding: Early sixteenth-century North Italian brown morocco over pasteboards (165 x 104 mm), border of repeated knotwork tool, central panel with four gilt arabesques aligned vertically with five gilt marguerites flanking, traces of four pairs of fabric ties, spine with raised bands in four compartments, three blind filets forming saltire in each. Housed in red cloth box. (Head of spine restored, edges rubbed, lacking ties.)

provenance: Early inscription, "F.H.S.L.Agh," to endleaf — George Dunn (1865-1912), bookplate — Sotheby's London, 22-29 November 1917, lot 3395 — Davis & Orioli, London, purchased in previous sale (£5 10s) — Sotheby's London, 2 December 1968, lot 38 — Rayner, purchased in previous sale — Georges Heilbrun, Catalogue 45, Paris [1976], item 7. acquisition: Purchased from Librairie Thomas-Scheler, Paris, 1998. references: UCLA 1169; Renouard 315/58; Shaw 37; Baudrier, VII, 164; Gültlingen, III, p. 115: 19; FB 78167; USTC 145445