Estimate € 500 - 800
Sold € 750
Auction: 28 February 2024 at 10:00
ARETINO, Pietro (1492-1556) - Quattro comedie. [London: John Wolfe], 1588. A fine copy in red morocco and in excellent condition of this collection of Aretinian works published by one of the most rebellious printers of Elizabethan London. Indeed, it is one of the few Aretinian works published after being placed in the index (reiterated by the 1564 Index, where "Petri Aretini Opera omnia" is recorded) and often printed with false places of publication, many of which can be traced back to Wolfe himself. Wolfe played a pivotal role in the dissemination of Aretino in Elizabethan English literature, with clear influences on key authors such as Shakespeare. 8vo (141 x 90mm). Woodcut portrait of the author on titles, woodcut initials (a few light stains). 18th-century red morocco, gilt titles and decorations on spine, covers and dentelles, gilt edges, marbled endpapers (extremities very lightly rubbed). Provenance: Wilmot Viscount Lisburne (heraldic bookplate on front endpaper) - Major Bryan Palmes (bookplate on front endpaper).
Estimate € 500 - 800