Andreus Divus--Homer
Rare Books, Manuscripts & Photographs
Auction: 16 January 2008 at 11:00 GMT
Description
Homeri poetarum onmium principis Ilias, Andrea Divi Justinopolita[n]o interprete, ad verbu[m] translata. Herodoti Halicarnassei libellus, Homeri vita[m] fidelissime continens Conrado Heresbachio interprete. [Homeri poetae clarissimi Odyssea A. Divo interprete, ad vebum translata. Ejusdem Batrachomiomachia ... Aldo Manutio Romano interprete. Eiusdem Hymni Deorum XXXII. Georgio Dartona Cretense interprete.] Venice: J. a Burgofrancho, 1537, 2 volumes in one, 8vo [**8, a12, b-z8, aa-mm8; [title], #8, A-Z8, CC8, DD10, EE-GG8, HH10], first edition of Andreas Divus's translation, presentation copy from the translator, possibly to Pope Paul III, titles within woodcut borders, volume 1 with blanks MM7-MM8, woodcut colophon at end of each volume, contemporary brown Italian morocco, gilt panelled sides incorporating the words on upper cover "Homerus. And. Divi. Munus" within a central gilt tooled circle, and, on the lower cover, the letters P.P. and a gilt shield enclosing a tree, surmounted by a bishop's mitre, spine blindstamped and gilt in compartments, raised bands, gauffered edges, first title slightly wormed in inner margin, minimally touching woodcut border, and two minute wormholes just affecting date, wormhole only affecting lower blank margin of A2, first title lightly dust-soiled, split to part of upper joint extending to spine, slightly worn at foot of spine and corners, a few small womholes to spine
Footnote
Note: A presentation Renaissance binding, the gift of the translator Andreas Divus, blindstamped "Homerus" and "And. Divi. Munus" [Andreas Divi Munus, i.e., the Gift of Andreas Divus], an elaborately tooled brown morocco binding with gauffered gilt edges. The nature and statues of the recipient is indicated by the gilt Bishop's mitre and the initials P.P., standing for "Pastor Pastorum (Shepherd of Shepherds), "Papa Pontifex" or simply "Papa". Although P.P. can signify Bishop, "P.P." generally stands for Pope and may therefore indicate Pope Paul III (Pope 1534-1549). The earliest known inscription of "P.P." refers to the papacy of Marcellinus which lasted from A.D. 296 to 304 (see G.B. de Rossi. Inscriptiones Christianae urbis romae, vol.1, p.115). At some point at attempt has been made to obscrue the mitre and the tree, but both remain clearly visible nevertheless.
George Chapman drew on Andreas Divus’s translation in his own important translation of the Odyssey, originally published in folio in 1614–16. Adams H770