24th ILAB International Antiquarian Book Fair - Vereinigung der ...

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Pregliasco Libreria Antiquaria
Umberto Pregliasco
Via Accademia Albertina, 3bis · 10123 Turin, Italien
Telefon +39 (0)11 8177114 · Fax +39 (0)11 8179214
E-Mail: books@preliber.com · Internet: www.preliber.com
Seltene und wertvolle Bücher · Manuskripte · Grafik
Erasmus, Holbein and Urs Graf on Vellum
Erasmus, Desiderius. In Novuum Testamentum
ab eodem denuo recognitum, Annotationes,
ingenti nuper accessione per autorem
locupletatae. Basle, Johann Froben, March
1519. In-folio (mm 328 × 218). (8), 579, (1) pp.,
contemporary calf over wooden-boards,
richly blind-tooled
with a lozenge and fleur-de lis
and leaves patterns tools; spine
with five double raised-bands,
compartments richly decorated
with geometrical and
flower blind-stamped tools,
gilt edges. A very fine copy,
some losses to the spine and
to the raised-bands, boards
worn. Printed on Vellum. Roman,
Greek and Hebrew types.
Title-page with printer device
within an elaborated border
by Holbein showing the battle
between Arminius and Varus, allegories of
the cardinal virtues and of sins as suspect, calumny,
cheat, trap and ignorance. On recto of
aa2 leaf Erasmus’ epistle to the reader within a
border of putti and acanthus leaves, and with
an historiated initial on 9 lines by Urs Graf. A
border showing the personification of arts and
putti opens the New Testament, with an historiated
initial on 12 lines by Holbein. All of these
early 16 th century engravings superbly stand
out thanks to the printing on vellum. Ex-libris
of Theodor Christoph Lilienthal (1717–1781),
the well-known German Lutheran theologian
with motto: ‹Utere concesso sed nullus abutere
libro. Lilia non maculat sed modo tangis
apis›. Some marginalia handwritten in brown
ink. CHF 205 000.–
The second volume of this greatly improved edition
of the 1516 Greek Novum Testamentum in
Erasmus translation; a magnificent and extremely
scarce copy printed on vellum. First separated edition
of the Annotationes in Novum Testamentum
by Erasmus enlarged for this
second edition of the New Testament
of 294 pages and printed
for this reason as an separate
volume. It «formed the basis of
the New Testament translations
of both Luther and Tyndale and
hence had profound influence
on later Protestant versions of
the Bible» (PMM 46). – At the
Basle University Library we
could trace only one Froben on
vellum, the delicious Colloquia
dedicated to the six-year old
Erasmius Froben, the son of the
printer, by his famous godfather.
In a letter dated 31 May 1518
Erasmus wrote to Thomas More that Johann
Froben was challenged with the printing of three
copies in membranis, and that one of these was for
another good friend, the English scholar and great
bibliophile Cuthbert Tunstall, who had provided
him an important manuscript. Dibdin reports that
«at the sale of the library of Sir M.M. Sykes, Bart. in
1824, a copy of the first volume only, upon vellum,
in most beautiful condition, was sold for £ 120». It
was acquired by the Archbishop Manners Sutton
for the Lambeth Library. Thanks to our copy of
the Annotations it could be therefore possible a
‹virtual reconstruction› of a precious gift, sign of
Erasmus’ gratitude to those who con tributed to
his Herculean labor. – Darlow & Moule, n. 4597;
Bezzel, 1212; Staehelin, 9; A list of some Early
Printed Books in the Archiepiscopal Library at
Lambeth (1843) n. 356.
106 24th ILAB International Antiquarian Book Fair