DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68990#0044
30
INCUNABULA
THE LARGEST COPY KNOWN OF THE 1465 CICERO.
23 CICERO, MARCUS TULLIUS. De Officiis et Paradoxa. Mainz,
Johannes Fust and Peter Schoeff er, 1465.
Fol., on paper. Gothic and G r e e k types, 28 lines, 88 leaves
without sign. Printed in red and black. With the printer’s
device in red. Some initials supplied in red and blue with pen
Ornaments. Original blind stamped brown caif over wooden boards,
panel divided by six triple fillets into lozenge and triangular com-
partments, each adorned by a curious and interesting stamp: the
Evangelistic animals within rectangles, four labels bearing the name
„s. eriber“ (Heribert) and conventional flowers, each stamp supported
at two opposite Corners by a hand. The panel is surrounded by a
border adorned with repeated impressions of a rectangular stamp
bearing a flowing stem of acorns and leaves and by a row of cresting.
At the top and the lower frame of the sides one each coat of arms
crowned with a bishop’s hat and supported by two hands. In the
four corners of the under side double-eagle, Holy Lamb. flower stamp
etc. On the front-cover an old paper-label bearing the title: „Tullius
de officijs“. Four brass attachments for clasps; back dam.
(265X180 mm). Frs. 45.000.—
Hain (without seeing it) 5238. Reidiling IV, p. 1Q2. Proctor 80. Brit.
Mus. Cat. I, p. 21. Seymour de Ricci p. 104. no. 84. Proctor, The Printing of
Greek p, 24 f. Duff, Early Printed Books p. 31-
The famous EDITIO PR1NCEPS of the Officia of Cicero and the first
Classic ever printed, a superb product of Fust & Sdioeffer, with full
colophon. The largest copy known bound in the original binding. Sey-
mur de Ricci mentiones only 2 other copies in an original binding in
his Catalogue Raisonnee des Premiferes Impressions de Mayence.
All measures quoted of the copies mentioned by Seymour de Ricci are
smaller than those of our copy. The binding measures 265 X180 mm, the leaves
measure 259 X <7^ mm.
Our copy is the largest known at all. The margins of the leaves
are measuring 60—72 mm.
The importance of this very early product of printing press, executed
in the famous Cicero-type of Fust & Sdioeffer is well-known. Seymour de Ricci
describes this book exactly in his „Catalogue Raisonee des Premieres Impressions
de Mayence“ p. 104. But there are some variants. Our copy contains all red
printed lines whidi are wanting in some copies. On the recto of the last leaf
there is the printer’s mark, nearly ever wanting in the copies on vellum,
and the colophon is quite complete, comprising 5 lines printed in red.
KATALOG Nr. 200 DES BUCH- UND KUNSTANTIQUARIATES
INCUNABULA
THE LARGEST COPY KNOWN OF THE 1465 CICERO.
23 CICERO, MARCUS TULLIUS. De Officiis et Paradoxa. Mainz,
Johannes Fust and Peter Schoeff er, 1465.
Fol., on paper. Gothic and G r e e k types, 28 lines, 88 leaves
without sign. Printed in red and black. With the printer’s
device in red. Some initials supplied in red and blue with pen
Ornaments. Original blind stamped brown caif over wooden boards,
panel divided by six triple fillets into lozenge and triangular com-
partments, each adorned by a curious and interesting stamp: the
Evangelistic animals within rectangles, four labels bearing the name
„s. eriber“ (Heribert) and conventional flowers, each stamp supported
at two opposite Corners by a hand. The panel is surrounded by a
border adorned with repeated impressions of a rectangular stamp
bearing a flowing stem of acorns and leaves and by a row of cresting.
At the top and the lower frame of the sides one each coat of arms
crowned with a bishop’s hat and supported by two hands. In the
four corners of the under side double-eagle, Holy Lamb. flower stamp
etc. On the front-cover an old paper-label bearing the title: „Tullius
de officijs“. Four brass attachments for clasps; back dam.
(265X180 mm). Frs. 45.000.—
Hain (without seeing it) 5238. Reidiling IV, p. 1Q2. Proctor 80. Brit.
Mus. Cat. I, p. 21. Seymour de Ricci p. 104. no. 84. Proctor, The Printing of
Greek p, 24 f. Duff, Early Printed Books p. 31-
The famous EDITIO PR1NCEPS of the Officia of Cicero and the first
Classic ever printed, a superb product of Fust & Sdioeffer, with full
colophon. The largest copy known bound in the original binding. Sey-
mur de Ricci mentiones only 2 other copies in an original binding in
his Catalogue Raisonnee des Premiferes Impressions de Mayence.
All measures quoted of the copies mentioned by Seymour de Ricci are
smaller than those of our copy. The binding measures 265 X180 mm, the leaves
measure 259 X <7^ mm.
Our copy is the largest known at all. The margins of the leaves
are measuring 60—72 mm.
The importance of this very early product of printing press, executed
in the famous Cicero-type of Fust & Sdioeffer is well-known. Seymour de Ricci
describes this book exactly in his „Catalogue Raisonee des Premieres Impressions
de Mayence“ p. 104. But there are some variants. Our copy contains all red
printed lines whidi are wanting in some copies. On the recto of the last leaf
there is the printer’s mark, nearly ever wanting in the copies on vellum,
and the colophon is quite complete, comprising 5 lines printed in red.
KATALOG Nr. 200 DES BUCH- UND KUNSTANTIQUARIATES
