18 April 1497 · [Brescia]
by (INCUNABULA). DE AQUILA, JOHANNES
[Brescia]: Angelus Britannicus, 18 April 1497. FIRST EDITION. 157 x 105 mm. (6 1/4 x 4"). [331] leaves (lacking blank O8). Double column, 35 lines plus headline, gothic type. Edited by Benedictus Brixianus.
Deep green morocco by Brugalla (stamp-signed and dated 1950 on the front turn-in), boards stamped in black and gilt in rows of fleurons within diamonds, raised bands separating five similarly decorated compartments, all edges gilt. Woodcut initials thorughout; printer's device on the colophon. Early ink owner's inscription to the title page in a neat italic hand: "Collegii Sancti Martini Soc. Jesu;" intermittent early ink marginal notes and underlining, leaves numbered in ink in the upper right corner in an old hand. Goff J-251; BMC VII 978; BSB-Ink I-369; ISTC ij00251000. â—†Spine uniformly sunned to a light tan, very light rubbing to the corners, internally with occasional minor foxing, a few light marginal stains, other trivial defects, but an excellent copy, quite clean and fresh, in an attractive, scarcely worn modern binding.
This attractively printed and attractively bound volume contains a very rarely seen copy of the 55 Lenten sermons by Johannes de Aquila (d. 1479). These primarily deal with the topic of sin, including the usual offenses of sloth, adultery, blasphemy, and pride. Perhaps more notably, the sermons also include simony and usury, major sins of the financial world, as a reflection of the burgeoning commercial world of the Italian Renaissance. An additional sermon, "Sermo in Annuntiatione Beatae Mariae Virginis," is bound between the introduction and first sermon; this sermon was apparently sometimes bound at the end, following the colophon, as in the BSB copy. This was the first printing of de Aquila's sermons, which was followed by a Venetian edition of 1499. Our first edition was the work of Angelus Brittanicus, who, with his brother Jacobus, ran a press in Brescia from about 1485-1511. Jacobus had been trained in printing in Venice, where he worked independently for several years before going into business with his brother. The two issued more than 30 Latin books dealing with humanism, theology, and the law. BMC notes that although the colophons of their books typically only mention one brother or the other, "the brothers always continued in association, whether the colophons mention both together. . . or either separately. . . and it is further evident that Jacobus, as his device indicates, looked after the actual printing, while Angelus acted as business manager." The present book is very rare: besides our copy, we could trace only one (very incomplete) copy at auction. Goff locates just four copies.. (Inventory #: ST19966)
Deep green morocco by Brugalla (stamp-signed and dated 1950 on the front turn-in), boards stamped in black and gilt in rows of fleurons within diamonds, raised bands separating five similarly decorated compartments, all edges gilt. Woodcut initials thorughout; printer's device on the colophon. Early ink owner's inscription to the title page in a neat italic hand: "Collegii Sancti Martini Soc. Jesu;" intermittent early ink marginal notes and underlining, leaves numbered in ink in the upper right corner in an old hand. Goff J-251; BMC VII 978; BSB-Ink I-369; ISTC ij00251000. â—†Spine uniformly sunned to a light tan, very light rubbing to the corners, internally with occasional minor foxing, a few light marginal stains, other trivial defects, but an excellent copy, quite clean and fresh, in an attractive, scarcely worn modern binding.
This attractively printed and attractively bound volume contains a very rarely seen copy of the 55 Lenten sermons by Johannes de Aquila (d. 1479). These primarily deal with the topic of sin, including the usual offenses of sloth, adultery, blasphemy, and pride. Perhaps more notably, the sermons also include simony and usury, major sins of the financial world, as a reflection of the burgeoning commercial world of the Italian Renaissance. An additional sermon, "Sermo in Annuntiatione Beatae Mariae Virginis," is bound between the introduction and first sermon; this sermon was apparently sometimes bound at the end, following the colophon, as in the BSB copy. This was the first printing of de Aquila's sermons, which was followed by a Venetian edition of 1499. Our first edition was the work of Angelus Brittanicus, who, with his brother Jacobus, ran a press in Brescia from about 1485-1511. Jacobus had been trained in printing in Venice, where he worked independently for several years before going into business with his brother. The two issued more than 30 Latin books dealing with humanism, theology, and the law. BMC notes that although the colophons of their books typically only mention one brother or the other, "the brothers always continued in association, whether the colophons mention both together. . . or either separately. . . and it is further evident that Jacobus, as his device indicates, looked after the actual printing, while Angelus acted as business manager." The present book is very rare: besides our copy, we could trace only one (very incomplete) copy at auction. Goff locates just four copies.. (Inventory #: ST19966)
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