Incunabula 1471 Lactantius Opera/ Greek Type/dante,ovid

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Incunabula 1471 Lactantius Opera/ Greek Type/dante,ovid Picture(s) and Description:

[Early Printing - Incunabula] [History of Typography - Greek Types] [Christian Theology - Apologetic Writings] [Roman Catholic Church - the Early Fathers] [Hermes Trismegistus and Hermetic Writings] [Publius Ovidius Naso] [Dante Alighieri]

Printed by Adam [de Ambergau], [Venice], 1471. (Colophon: M.CCCC.LXXI. Adam.)

This is the first of the two variants noted by Hain with the Colophon preceding the concluding verses "Arguit hic hominum sectas lactantius omnes/ (.) /Post regina premit quippe colenda maris".

The 4th edition of Lactantius, and the FIRST VENETIAN EDITION! Also, this is one of the earliest books printed in Venice with an extensive use of a Greek type (and quite possibly the first using a complete set) ! The book includes extensive Greek quotations from the sayings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus and from the prophecies of the Sibyls.

This edition also includes excerpts from Dante's Inferno and Ovid's Metamorphoses.

We are proud to note that this magnificent 1471 incunable Lactantius (printed only 16 years after the Gutenberg Bible) is certainly one of the earliest dated printed books ever to be offered on eBay!

This 1471 incunabulum is considered by many to be the rarest edition of this important early Christian author of 4th century. A Latin-speaking native of North Africa, Lactantius (c. 250 -c. 325) was a pupil of Arnobius and taught rhetoric in various cities of the Eastern Roman Empire, ending in Constantinople. For the elegance of his diction he was distinguished by the appellation of the "Christian Cicero"; his "Divine Institutes" was a vigorous riposte to pagan criticism and persecution of Christianity.

Thomas Dibdin in his authoritative Bibliotheca Spenceriana (vol.I, no.95, p.212) describes this edition, noting this edition's "purity of text", as well as its extreme rarity: citing Schelhorn's Amoenitates Literariae, he writes ".Fabricius, Wakhius, Buneman, and Maittaire, were all unacquainted with the impression. Braun observes, on the testimony of Schelhorn, that Buneman searched forty catalogues for it in vain; and was at last compelled to purchase a copy of it at the Hague for 50 florins."

The great significance of this rare incunabulum is also due to the extensive use of the Greek type, which is one of the first full-fledged examples of Greek printing done in Venice (predating Nicolaus Jenson's first serious example of use of a Greek type in his 1472 Macrobius, and preceded only perhaps by one or two De Spira imprints):

".Adam of Ammergau is especially interesting to us, because his Greek type is unique among Venetian founts as being a type of the Roman class, resembling that of Han; an irregular, rather sprawling, awkward-looking fount, though not without considerable beauty and dignity. It consists, like the Romano-Greek types, of a single series of lower-case letters. This type, probably two-line brevier like the rest though slightly larger (113 mm.), might be thought to support the old belief that Adam's books were printed at Rome, not at Venice; it is a curious fact that none of his books which contain his name have the place of printing given, though some books without his name, but in his type, have a Venice imprint. But any ground for doubt is removed when we find that his Greek letters were in 1475 in the hands of Gabriele di Pietro, of Treviso, about whose place of work there is no question. They are found in his Perottus dated December of that year. (.) The first of Adam's books in which these Greek letters are found is the Letters of Cicero, 1471; but the supply was small, as there are many spaces left in it. The Lactantius contains the complete set." (Robert Proctor, "The printing of Greek in the fifteenth century", p.34)

The printer's name and the place of printing of this "singularly curious" (Beloe) edition has been a subject of intense debate among the leading bibliographers in 18th-19th centuries. The press of Adam de Ambergau, which was active in Venice in 1471-1472, printed very few books. His 1472 edition of Cicero's Orationes was the only book in which this somewhat mysterious early printer identifies himself with his full name ("magister Adam Ambergau natus") in the colophon. In all of his other books, including this 1471 Lactantius, he signed himself merely 'Adam'. This gave rise to considerable difficulties in identifying his imprints.

Some early bibliographers (such as De Bure) attributed it to Adam Rot of Rome. Ludwig Hain was also of the opinion that the book was printed in Rome. William Beloe in his Anecdotes of Literature and Scarce Books (London, 1810, vol.IV, p.192) notes that "bibliographers have not determined who was the printer" and further remarks that Panzer believed that this edition had been printed by Vindelinus de Spira.

Thomas Dibdin (as well as some others) actually believes that the word 'Adam' in the colophon does not pertain to the printer, and writes (op. cit. p.211): "This edition, from the time of Schelhorn to the present day, has given rise to a good deal of discussion respecting the name of its supposed printer. . I incline to the opinion of Fossi, in the Bibl. Magliabech. vol. ii. col. 43-4; in which it is observed that the word 'Adam' subjoined to the colophon, is intended neither for Adam Rot the Roman printer, nor for Adam de Ambergau the Venetian printer, but for ' Adam Montaltus Geuuensis' . who was the author of the [prefatory] verses against Antonius Raudensis. Fossi's further observations are corroborative of this conclusion."

This edition contains the following works: De divinis institutionibus; De ira dei; De opificio dei vel de formatione hominis; De phoenice carmen, and De resurrectione Christi (by Venantius Fortunatus).

Also, at the end of De phoenice carmen, Lactantius's allegorical poem on the mythical bird Phoenix, considered as a symbol of the resurrection, two very interesting short fragments are included, both related to the phoenix myth. The first is an extract from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Note that the editio princeps of Ovid was printed in Bologna the same year (1471) as our Lactantius.

The second fragment is even more remarkable: it is a six-line quotation from Dante's Divine Comedy (Inferno, 24, 106-111) about the phoenix, beginning with "Cosi per li gran savi si confessa [.]", which here appears in print a year before the Editio Princeps of Dante was printed in Foligno (1472).

Lactantius' main work, De divinis institutionibus (On the Divine Institutes) is one of the last Christian apologies written in direct response to persecution. It is also an important source for the critical period from the outbreak of the Great Persecution to the rise of Constantine. The stated purpose of Lactantius writings was to present Christianity in a form that would be attractive to philosophical pagans. In practice this resulted in a uneasy amalgam of Christianity, Platonism, Stoicism and Pythagorianism. His views led to his posthumous condemnation as a heretic. Interest in his works was, however, revived during the Renaissance.

Lactantius is of considerable interest to the student of esoterica, Hermetica, and the occult, as Lactantius was "a theologian who stood in the tradition of the 'philosophical Gnosis' of Alexandria. He developed his doctrine of redemption in obvious dependence on the gnostic, especially the Hermetic, but clothed it, following Clement, at the same time in the dress of official theology." ('Kurt Rudolph, "Gnosis: The Nature And History of Gnosticism", p.370) "Before Lactantius . no one used the Hermetic writings to such a degree for apologetic purposes, Indeed he was the first really to introduce them into the apologetic literature." (A. Wlosok, Laktanz und die philosophische Gnosis, p.214).

Several chapters in the "Divine Institutes" deal with the demonology and angelology!

The first page of text (leaf [2]1r) has the opening initial and a full border illuminated in various colors by a contemporary hand. It appears, that, like some other copies of Venetian incunables of the early 1470s, this 1471 Lactantius was specially supplied, after printing, with stamped woodcut border-pieces providing a model to guide the illuminator, who then painted over the woodcut outline. The white-vine foot-piece of the border in our book, with two putti and two rabbits flanking a shield of ten points, is one of the handsomest of these Venetian models. In Lamberto Donati's study of Venetian stamped woodcut models, the footpiece is his block no. 64. The same woodcut block, over-illuminated, are found in the Bibliotheque Nationale's copy of 1471 De Spira edition of Valerius Maximus (cf. Essling 211).

Goff L4; Hain 9809*; BMC V 188; Proctor 4144; Polain(B) 4508 ; IBE 3414; IGI 5622; IDL 2865; Madsen 2426; Oates 1652; BSB-Ink L-4; Dibdin, Bibliotheca Spenceriana, v.I, no.95 (pp.211-2); Schelhorn's Amoenitates Literariae; vol. i. p. 312-317; Panzer; vol. iii. p. 83.

Chancery Folio (pages measure 295 x 214 mm). Bound in full 18th century vellum over boards; flat spine; red morocco gilt-lettered title label to spine. Edges speckled red.

Without foliation or signature marks; [216] leaves (forming 432 pages).

Signature collation: 112 (-[1]1 blank), [2]10 [3-12]12.8 (-[3]5,6) [13]10 [14-17]8.12 [18]10, [19]12, [20]8, [21]12, [22]6 (-[22]6 blank).

Lacking the two blanks (one front and one rear), and two text leaves ([3]5,6).

Printed in Roman and Greek letter; in single column, 38 lines per page. Capital spaces (a few with printed guide initials).

The first quire (the preliminaries) comprises the Rubricae (the table of contents) occupying leaves [1]2-10, and the Errata by Antonius Raudensis (leaves [1]11-12), which are followed by the prefatory verses by Adam Montaltus Genuensis directed against Antonius Raudensis (at the bottom of leaf [1]12 verso).

The first page of Lactantius' De Divinis Institutionibus ([2]1r) has the 6-line opening initial 'M' painted in green, white, purple and brown by a contemporary hand; and a full border around the page painted by the same hand (of somewhat less than consummate skill) in various colors with white-vine motifs, with a lovely foot-piece with two putti and two rabbits flanking a shield of ten points. (Probably supplied, after printing, with stamped woodcut borderpieces providing a guide for the illuminator, who then painted over the woodcut outline).

Colophon "M.CCCC.LXXI. Adam" on the final page ([22]5v) is followed by the concluding verses: "Arguit hic hominum sectas lactantius omnes/ (.) /Post regina premit quippe colenda maris"

Good antiquarian condition. Vellum slightly soiled. A few wormholes to several preliminary leaves and several leaves at the end of volume, affecting a few letters, but without loss of legibility. Inner margin of the first leaf repaired; several other leaves with inner margin reinforced at gutter. Margins gently washed throughout (probably in 19th century) to remove extensive early marginalia, resulting in visible tide-mark near the the outer edges, although residual traces of the early marginal notes are still vaguely visible on many pages. Occasional light soiling and/or marginal staining (mostly to inner margins). Some early ink corrections to the Dante's verses on leaf [22]4r. The painted border and the initial on [2]1r rubbed and faded in places, with occasional blurring, and minor smudges and some offsetting to the opposite page; the foot-piece slightly shaved at bottom edge. Generally a clean, wide-margined example of this splendid specimen of early printing.

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