LUCANUS, Marcus Annaeus (39-65). Pharsalia sive Bellum civile. Commentary by Omnibonus Leonicenus, revised by Joannes Taberius. Venice: Bartholomaeus de Zanis for Octavianus Scotus, 31 March 1492.
LUCANUS, Marcus Annaeus (39-65). Pharsalia sive Bellum civile. Commentary by Omnibonus Leonicenus, revised by Joannes Taberius. Venice: Bartholomaeus de Zanis for Octavianus Scotus, 31 March 1492.

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LUCANUS, Marcus Annaeus (39-65). Pharsalia sive Bellum civile. Commentary by Omnibonus Leonicenus, revised by Joannes Taberius. Venice: Bartholomaeus de Zanis for Octavianus Scotus, 31 March 1492.

Super-chancery 2° (314 x 215mm). 154 leaves (collation as BMC). Roman types 2:80, 3:106 and Greek type 80, text with commentary surround, 61 lines of commentary. Woodcut white-on-black initials, one on s7r printed upside-down, two woodcut initials opening book one FINELY OVERPAINTED BY AN EARLY HAND, a few other initials with touches of colour, paragraph marks in quire a alternating in red and blue. (Small perforation in first leaf, bifolia o3.6 and p3.6, 4.5 browned.)

BINDING: contemporary blind-tooled russet goatskin over wooden boards, bound for Antonio Pillone by Belluno Bindery A, the sides panelled with multiple fillets, border of repeated half-diamond tool, central panel filled with repeated small cross tool, the spine tooled with intersecting quadruple fillets, five brass bosses to each cover, 2 (of 4) clasps, vellum endleaf at back with binding instruction 'Cooperto' (slight worming, one neat tear repaired). Provenance: Antonio Pillone (binding, some MS annotations and corrections); Odorico Pillone (fore-edge); Sir Thomas Brooke (bookplate); Berès 35.

VECELLIO FORE-EDGE PAINTING: the author, in a pale robe and hat, seen from behind, writing at a desk in a room, a window above, author's name lettered vertically and horizontally. Top and bottom edge blue-grey marbled with maroon.

A handsome copy, with Pillone's binding instruction on the final vellum endleaf reading 'cooperto', indicating it was to be bound in full leather, and 'L're 4', possibly the price for binding. BMC V, 431 (IB. 23706); HC *10240; IGI 5821; Goff L-304.

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