Vergil | Opera, Louvain, 1475-1476, diced russia

Publius Vergilius Maro

Bucolica et Georgica; Aeneis. Louvain: Johannes de Westfalia, 29 November 1475; 8 April 1476

2 works in one volume, Chancery folio (277 x 194mm.), 65 leaves (of 66, without initial blank, [a¹⁰ b-h⁸]; 196 leaves, [a–y⁸ z¹⁰ A¹⁰], 26 lines, gothic type, initials printed in red, woodcut printer's device at end of each part, colophon to Aeneis printed in red, red paraphs and initial-strokes, later manuscript headlines, traces of manuscript quiring,

later English diced calf, gilt edges, early annotations in different hands, first leaf defective with loss of a few words, occasional light staining (mostly from ink), marginal repairs to last two leaves, upper joint cracked

An early edition of Vergil's works, which were first printed in 1469 and reprinted regularly. Although issued with separate colophons, the two parts are usually found bound together. Johannes de Westfalia was one of the earliest printers in the Low Countries, where he worked with Thierry Martens before setting up by himself in the university town of Louvain, where the market for humanist texts (such as Vergil) was stronger. His printer's device was, somewhat unusually, a medallion portrait, and his colophon proclaims his pride in his printing, for which he used a Venetian gothic rotunda, probably obtained from Nicolas Jenson and Bartholomaeus Cremonensis.

Not all copies contain the red woodcut initials and the red printing of the colophon of the second work.

Loosely inserted is a letter about the bibliographical details of this book, by G.A. Smyth addressed "My dear Lord", dated 5 November 1872.

REFERENCES:

ISTC iv00217700 & iv00196700 (14 copies of each); STCV 12922241 & 12922242

PROVENANCE:

Robert Crofton; Gullihelmus Futtmannus with his GF monogram, early English inscriptions on final verso along with other notes on ownership and pen trials; Firle Place, printed booklabel (Case K, shelf 3); W.D.P., bibliographical notes pasted to flyleaf