VIRGIL, OPERA. Venice: Vindelinus de Spira, 1470

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Curatorial Note:

After Johannes de Spira died in early 1470, his brother Vindelinus undertook an ambitious printing program, including the earliest explicitly dated edition of Virgil’s works. Printed in a pleasingly balanced roman typeface, this edition was textually superior to those printed in Rome and Strasbourg. In Princeton’s vellum copy, one of nine surviving, the beginning of the Bucolics features a richly illuminated border with antique motifs, tentatively ascribed to the miniaturist Franco dei Russi of Mantua, active in Venice in 1471–1472.

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New York Times, Sept. 30, 1891, p. 9, records John Pierce, NY bookseller, purchased this lot at Ives auction for $3000 and subsequently sold it to Junius Spencer Morgan.
Gathering: [16]
No. of lines varies; type 1 (cf. Haebler); printed in black.
Leaf 1a: Publii Virgilii maronis bucolicorum Liber incipit: Aegloga prima Tityrus & melibeus: Titye tu pauvlae recubans sub tegmine fagi Siluestrem tenui musam meditaris auena. Ends, leaf 161b, l. 11: .M.CCCC.LXX.
First dated edition; printed on parchment.
VRG copy has initials and decorations illuminated red, blue, green and gold.

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VRG copy in later red goatskin with French fillet and outer dentelles in gold; marbled endpapers; in dark blue goatskin pull-off case.

References:

Goff V-150
BM 15th cent., V, p. 154 (IB.19525b)
Copinger 6003
Sunderland, C. S. Bibliotheca Sunderlandiana 13041
Ives, B. Catalogue of the collection of books and manuscripts belonging to Mr. Brayton Ives no. 1028 (p. 292-293, with illustration of title page)

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