Libreria Antiquaria Pregliasco

34. (Manuscript) – mAeTeNS, Ioos. “Vive la
plume. A’ dieu seul honneur et gloire. Par Ioos
Maetens. Enghien. An 1636”. € 5.500
manuscrit original sur papier, 48 feuillets écrits au recto,
in-4 oblong. Reliure de l’époque pl.vélin. Chaque page contient
une sentence moralisatrice en quatre langues (latin,
italien, français et allemande) en diffèrents et très elegants
caractères, accompagnés par des initiales figurées, très
soignées, inspirées par des répertoires iconographiques du
moyen-age. Maetens était abbé d’Enghien dans la première
moitiée du XVIII siècle,. (Matthieu, Biographie nationale,
XIII, 147). “Vive la Plume” était le motto de la cèlèbre
miniaturiste Esther Inglis (1571-1624), qui pourrait avoir
inspiré Maetens pour son ouvrage. [15670]
35. mARcOLINI, Francesco. Le Sorti. Intitolate
Giardino dei pensieri. Venezia, Marcolino, 1540,
€ 45.000
folio, ff. 104, fine 17th c. red morocco, sides with triple fillet
in gilt, 6 raised bands spine with title in the
compartments. Title engraved by Marco Dente, representing
a group of men and women consulting Marcolini’s
book in the “Garden of thoughts”; on verso of the title a fullpage
portrait of the artist within an architectural border.
The first section of the book includes 50 woodcuts on the
upper half of each leaf ’s recto representing symbolic
images, vices and virtues, with 90 playing cards surrounding
the woodcut and 45 more cards arranged in the shape
of a cross. According to the cards’ response, the player has
to consult one of the 50 philosophers. First edition of one
of the most famous 16 th c. fortune-telling books, inspired
by Lorenzo Spirito and Sigismondo Fanti’s games.
Compared with the previous tradition, Marcolini plans the
double printed page on a parallel register, iconographical
and verbal; for the first time thinking a whole volume to
be read in double page, supported by a complicated reference
system that the reader learns in the preliminary pages.
The book itself and a pack of cards become the game’s
instruments, conducted by the player who found the
higher card. Mortimer 279. Sander 4231. Essling II, 670.
Cinti 54. [12043]
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