Vigerius Decachordum 1507 Printed on Vellum: the Only Copy in Private Hands and One of the Most Important Illustrated Books in Italy

Vigerius, Marcus. Decachordum christianum Iulio. II. Pont. Max. dicatum. Fano (then Pesaro), Hieronymus Soncinus, 1507. Printed on parchment. With 10 full-page and 33 smaller wood- or rather metalcuts, the smaller ones except for two inn criblé style. Folio (310 x 203 mm). Richly gilt dark blue morocco binding of the early 19th century.

The Vigerius of 1507 is considered the most beautiful of all Soncino prints and one of the most important illustrated books in Italy.

The Life of Jesus by Marcus Vigerius, printed for the first time in 1507, with 43 woodcuts, ten of them full-page, from the Venetian circle of Giovanni Bellini, is the magnum opus of the famous Jewish printer Girolamo Soncino. Only five vellum copies of the first edition are known: four of them are in great national libraries in Paris, Florence, London and Munich. Our copy is the only one in private hands and was in the collection of George Hibbert and Beriah Botfield. It was bound by Charles Lewis in the early 19th century and is immacutaley preserved.

“Soncino’s press was the first at Fano, and this is
his finest book.”
Ruth Mortimer, Italian 16th Century Books

Provenance: Longman Catalogue, London 1818/19, no. 10069, sold to George Hibbert (1757 - 1837) for £ 15-15-0. 1829 sold as lot 8434 to John Bohn for £ 15-10-0 who provided the lacking eight leaves from another copy and sold it to Beriah Botfield (1807 - 1863) for £ 31-0-0 (pencil note on the inside cover). - Auction Highly Important Printed Books from Beriah Botfield's Library, Christie's, London, 30 March 1994, no. 36 to Breslauer.

Literature: Adams V 746; Ascarelli/Menato 201; Brunet V, 1216 (mentions two copies on parchment, ours is one of them) and Supplement II, 887; De Marinis, Nr. 214; EDIT 16 CNCE 32811; Essling I, p. 145; Fünf Jahrhunderte 64; Fumagalli 119; Graesse VI/2, 313; Isaac 13970; Mortimer, Italian, No. 537; Nagler, Monogrammisten, II, No. 2536 (Vavassore); Panzer VII, p. 2, No. 11; Passavant I, p. 141f.; Rahir 672; Sander III, 7589, and VI, ill. 738-740; Servolini 112f. and 115, No. 24; Van Praet, Bibliothèque du Roi I, No. 413; Wetzer/Welte 12, 950f.; on Charles Lewis: Howe 58f.

This book has been described in great detail in our catalogue 90 “Wunderkammer”, lot 15, available in our Online Shop.

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