Early Printing & Manuscripts (15th & 16th Century)

BOETHIUS, Anicius Manlius. Di consolatione philosophica volgare, nuovamente revisto & di molti errori porgato opera al tutto dignissima eccellente & bella.
(Colophon:) Venice, Melchior Sessa, December 1531. 8vo. With the title and leaf 1 printed within a border made up of typographical ornament, and 6 decorated woodcut initials, of which one historiated. 17th-century gold tooled green morocco. [8], 104 ll. Full description

BONAVENTURA (pseudo); [attributed to Durand of CHAMPAGNE]. Sermo[n]es quattuor novissimorum perutiles et nec[ess]arij. unu[m]que[m]q[ue] in devot[i]o[n]is ardore[m] dei q[uam] timore[m] [in]ducentes.
[Colophon: Cologne, Cornelius von Zierickzee, ca. 1502]. Small 8vo (ca. 12.5 x 10 cm). With a small woodcut illustration surrounded by woodcut border decorations on the title-page and two full-page woodcut illustrations in the text. The text is set in Gothic type. Later half vellum with marbled paper sides, blue edges. [2 blank], VII, [120] ll. Full description

BONAVENTURA (pseudo) [= Conradus de SAXONIA]. Speculum beate Marie virginis: compilatum ab humili fratre Bonauentura.
Augsburg, Anton Sorg, 1476. Folio (26.5 x 21.2 cm). Set in a Gothic letter in 40 lines to the page, printed in 1 column. Rubricated throughout. With a large Maiblumen woodcut-initial and 16 smaller initials (of which 11 hand-coloured in red). Modern vellum, with a manuscript title on the spine. [48] ll. Full description

BONNEFONS, Jean. Pancharis.
Lyon, Thomas Soubron, 1593. 2 parts in 1 volume. 12mo. With a large woodcut printer's device on the title page of the first part, and a smaller variant device on the title page of the second part, further with 5 woodcut headpieces, 3 woodcut tailpieces, 6 woodcut decorated initials, and a border made up of typographical materials around the colophon. With: DURAND, Gillis. Imitations du Latin de Iean Bonnefons: avec autres gayetez amoureuses, de l'invention de l'autheur.
Lyon, pour Thomas Soubron (colophon: Etienne Servain), 1593. 17th-century gold tooled brown calf. 68; 153, [1] pp. Full description

[BOOK OF HOURS]. Hore [= Horae beate Marie Virginis] secundum usum Romanum ad longum.
(colophon: Paris, Thomas Kees), [ca. 1511, with an almanac for the years 1511-1530]. 8vo (18 x 12 cm). Printed on vellum in red and black throughout, with illustrations printed from (mostly metal?) relief blocks: 17 nearly full-page plus 1 repeat, 27 small plus 2 repeats in the text, many additional small in the decorated border pieces that surround nearly every page. Dark brown gold- and blind-tooled goatskin morocco (ca. 1870?), signed "HARDY-MENNIL" in the foot of the front turn-in. [216] pp. Full description

BORGHINI, Raffaello. Il riposo ... in cui della pittura, e della scultura si favella, de piu illustri pittori, e scultori, e delle piu famose opere loro si fa mentione; e le cose principali appartenenti à dette arti s'insegnano.
Florence, Giorgio Marescotti, 1584. 8vo. With Marescotti's woodcut "et vult et potest" device on the title page (ship in an oval cartouche with motto, and a monogram at the foot) and a full-page allegorical woodcut on art and on fame in an oval cartouche, a woodcut tailpiece, and 6 woodcut decorated initials (4 series). 19th-century gold-tooled sheepskin parchment (ca. 1890?). [48], 648 pp. Full description

BRANT, Sebastian. Ad divum Maximilianum Caesarem invictissimum conctosque Christiani nominis principes et populos, Nenia Sebastiani Brant, In Thurcarum nyciteria, cum arripiende in eosdem expeditionis exhortatione.
(Colophon:) Strasbourg, [Johann Knoblauch], 9 February 1518. 4to. With a small vignette built up from typographical ornaments on the title page. 18th-century grey paper wrappers. [1], [1 blank], [5], [1 blank] pp. Full description

BRASSAVOLA, Antonio Musa. Examen omnium catapotiorum, vel pilularum, quarum apud pharmacopolas usus est.
Lyon, Jean Pullon, 1545. 8vo. With a woodcut device on the title page and some woodcut decorated initials. Contemporary vellum. 188, [4] pp. Full description

BRASSAVOLA, Antonio Musa. Examen omnium electuariorum, pulverum, et confectionum.
Venice, Vincent Valgrisi, 1548. 8vo. With a woodcut device on the title page and a larger version on the last page. Later stiff paper wrappers. 140, [2] pp. Full description

BRASSAVOLA, Antonio Musa. Examen omnium trochiscorum, unguentorum, ceratorum, emplastrorum, cataplasmatum, & collyriorum : quorum apud Ferrarienses pharmacopolas usus est : ...
Venice, (colophon: Lucas Antonius Juntas), 1551. 8vo. With a woodcut device on title-page. Contemporary limp vellum, restored. 296 ll. Full description