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Provenance
1. Thomas Mahieu. With Henri II and Jean Grolier, Mahieu belongs to the greatest bibliophiles of the sixteenth century to have patronised the leading Parisian bookbinders of the day. Probably Italian by birth (Maioli), he was principal secretary to Queen Catherine de' Medici of France from 1549 to 1560 and it is from this period that the finest bindings commissioned by him date. This exquisitely designed and well executed binding is celebrated as THE ONLY SURVIVING ITALIAN BINDING FROM MAHIEU'S LIBRARY. It was produced by the prolific Venetian workshop that also did work for Cardinal Granvelle and Johann Jacob Fugger, and that is variously known as THE VENETIAN FUGGER MASTER (Schunke) or THE VENETIAN APPLE BINDER (Foot). It is likely that this important binding dates from the same year as the printed book it covers (1549) and may therefore well be THE EARLIEST MAHIEU BINDING EXTANT.
2. Found by Edouard Rahir in a French provincial library (Librairie Damascène Morgand, Bulletin V, 1889-92, no.18952).
3. Th. Thévenin (Paris sale, 4 March 1903, lot 110).
4. Mortimer L. Schiff (bookplate; Sotheby's, 24 March 1938, lot 293).
5. Maurice Burrus, député du Ht. Rhin (bookplate designed 1937).
6. M. Breslauer Inc. (cat.104, no.26).
LITERATURE:
H.M.FOOT, THE HENRY DAVIS GIFT I (1978) P.312
G.D.HOBSON, MAIOLI, CANEVARI AND OTHERS, PL.53
2. Found by Edouard Rahir in a French provincial library (Librairie Damascène Morgand, Bulletin V, 1889-92, no.18952).
3. Th. Thévenin (Paris sale, 4 March 1903, lot 110).
4. Mortimer L. Schiff (bookplate; Sotheby's, 24 March 1938, lot 293).
5. Maurice Burrus, député du Ht. Rhin (bookplate designed 1937).
6. M. Breslauer Inc. (cat.104, no.26).
LITERATURE:
H.M.FOOT, THE HENRY DAVIS GIFT I (1978) P.312
G.D.HOBSON, MAIOLI, CANEVARI AND OTHERS, PL.53