Paris, N. Couteau pour G. du Pré, 1527.
4to [238 x 170 mm] of (8) ll., 169 ll. including 3 large full-page woodcuts, (1) l. for the printer’s mark, numerous decorated capitals. Bound in full brown morocco, covers entirely decorated with triple blind-stamped fillets and a large blind-stamped leaf-like border, gilt corner pieces, gilt central diamond fleuron, spine ribbed and decorated with blind-stamped borders and gilt fleurons, large gilt inner border, gilt and engraved edges. Laurent Claessens.
First French edition of this great romance novel which was a great success during the Renaissance. Fairfax Murray, I, n°79; Rothschild, II, 1744; Brunet, I, 1701-1702.
It is also a travel book as are present descriptions of Mount Sinai, India, Macedonia, Cyprus and Corsica…
This great love novel in prose displays the adventures of two lovers belonging to two noble families of Ferrare, mortal enemies to each other.
It was written in Italian in Parma while Jacomo Caviceo was a vicar to the Archbishop of Ferrare. Dedicated to Lucretia Borgia, this famous novel is outstanding as it is the very first to place the story in the mouth of the characters displayed themselves.
This novel started to circulate, handwritten, in the literary circles of Francis I’s court, after having been translated by François d’Assy.
This first French edition, printed in gothic letters, is illustrated with a red and black title and very numerous decorated capital letters. It contains a superb illustration composed of 3 large full-page woodcuts: one displays the lovers, the second the pilgrim arriving to Sainte-Catherine’s monastery on Mount Sinai on the road to Syria, whereas on the third one he arrives in Cyprus represented on the engraving. Galliot du Pré’s mark is printed on the verso of the last leaf.
Very wide-margined copy, preserved in a Renaissance inspired binding by Claessens.
See less information
