Bonhams 1793 : SIMONETA (JOHANNES) Commentarii rerum gestarum Francisci Sfortiae [edited by Franciscus Puteolanus], Milan, between 1481 and 1482

Commentarii rerum gestarum Francisci Sfortiae [edited by Franciscus Puteolanus], 289 leaves (of 290, without final blank), 42 lines, Roman type, capital spaces, chapter numerals added in upper margin, first leaf soiled, following 9 repaired at fore-margin not touching text (but some loss to marginalia), numerous ink annotations in the margins (mostly highlighting important figures in the text) in a late fifteenth/early sixteenth century Italian hand, extensive list on final blank of the sons born to Fr. SF. Mediolanus (?Blanca Maria Consul) from 1444 to 1458, and biographical notes in praise of Nicolaus and Franciscus, ownership inscription "Pinelli Auction... 4-4-, M. Wodhull, Apr. 25th, 1789" on front free endpaper, blindstamp in margin of first and final leaves, later vellum-backed boards, morocco spine labels, soiled [ISTC is00532000; BMC VI 718; Goff S532; GW M42283; HC 14753 = HR 14754; IGI 9013], folio (314 x 220mm.), [Milan, Antonius Zarotus, between July 1481 and February 1482]

Sold for £3,500 inc. premium

Footnotes

"A six years' privilege for this book was granted by the Duke to the printers on July, 1481... on this evidence the book was not completed until the early part of 1482, but the state of the type, as well as the date of Philefus's postscript, pont rather to 1480. It seems probably that it was already in hand by 1479, but that completion was delayed for some unexplained reason, possibly political" (BMC).

Category: Books / Books, Maps and Manuscripts

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