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LIVIUS (TITUS) [Latinae historiae principis decas prima], first part only, [Lyon, Sebastian Gryphius, 1548] image 1
LIVIUS (TITUS) [Latinae historiae principis decas prima], first part only, [Lyon, Sebastian Gryphius, 1548] image 2
LIVIUS (TITUS) [Latinae historiae principis decas prima], first part only, [Lyon, Sebastian Gryphius, 1548] image 3
THE PROPERTY OF THE LATE KENNETH JOHN HEWETT

K.J. Hewett (1919-1994) was a renowned London dealer in ethnographic art and antiquities. Other books from his library were offered in these rooms on 21 March 2018.
Lot 204

LIVIUS (TITUS)
[Latinae historiae principis decas prima], first part only, [Lyon, Sebastian Gryphius, 1548]

4 December 2019, 11:00 GMT
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £10,687.50 inc. premium

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LIVIUS (TITUS)

[Latinae historiae principis decas prima], first part only, collates 683, [63], historiated woodcut initials, lacks title and a8 (pp.15-16), NUMEROUS EARLY ANNOTATIONS IN AN EARLY HAND, AND APPROXIMATELY 38 SMALL INK AND WASH ILLUSTRATIONS in the margins (all before p.513), contemporary formed of dark brown morocco, covers panelled with a pair of gilt fillets enclosing an elaborate interlacing pattern of "entrelac vide" formed by gouges and fillets with leafy volute terminals, with motto "Vita Mortalibus Stadium" in central panel on both sides, spine with 5 panels within raised bands, a floral gilt decoration within each, gilt gauffered edges, vellum sewing guard cut from a French notarial document inside upper cover, extremities of spine neatly repaired, preserved in a purpose-made morocco-backed book box, 16mo, [Lyon, Sebastian Gryphius, 1548]

Footnotes

The first volume of a scarce pocket edition of Simon Grynaeus's 1531 Basle edition of Livy's Roman history, bound in a contemporary Paris or Lyon morocco "Entrelac Vide" binding. The attractive series of marginal vignettes (male and female couple, soldiers, hunting scene, horse and carriage, cattle, etc.) appear to have been added in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century.

Provenance: Contemporary inscription at head of a5r, "In nomine dni nostrij JESU Christij/Anno 1550 I'd Januar'r", with many other annotations in same hand; Thomas Baguley, early seventeenth century inscription on p.496; Beverley and William Jepson, late sixteenth/early seventeenth century signatures on blank verso of final leaf; Thomas Ewart Marston, bookplate; E.P. Goldschmidt (1887-1954), with his gilt ex-libris; K.J. Hewett, name label inside lower cover.

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