449. Jacobus (de Voragine): Legenda (aurea) sanctorum...

... (sive historia Lombardica)
(Nürnberg, 11 April 1481. Anton Koberger.) (1)+CLXXXIII fol(s).
This work, written in the mid-13th century, describes the legends of some 150 saints. Its author was a Dominican monk who later became Archbishop of Genoa. It is perhaps the best-known and most widespread example of its genre. Continuously expanded, it first circulated in manuscript form, then underwent numerous editions in the following centuries. It was first printed in Strasbourg in 1471, followed by some 160 editions by the end of the century (in Latin, German, Flemish, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, and Czech). This is the second edition produced by the Koberger workshop (the first was published in 1478). Our copy is remarkable in several respects. Its decoration is eye-catching, with red and blue rubrication, and the initial letter of the main text has been painted and gilded with unparalleled care, richly adorned with floral ornaments. This must have taken a long time, and while working on it, a fly may have landed on the bottom of the page. This playful friend immortalized it, adding a special charm to the already beautiful page. Perhaps even more important is that, according to the bookplate, it enriched the library of its founder, Sámuel Teleki. His collection forms the basis of the Teleki Library in Marosvásárhely, but this volume probably ended up with a relative and was never part of it. The only (incomplete) domestic copy of this edition of the work is mentioned in a catalog of finds published about half a century ago, and it is kept in Pannonhalma.
Restored, slightly worn contemporary leather over wooden boards. Covers blind-stamped with geometric compartments and floral stamps. Metal clasps and bosses missing.
Provenance: With the ex libris of Count Sámuel Teleki.
istc ij00097000.; GW 14000.; CIH 1836.                              
 
Starting price: 4 500 000,-