Binding.- Bible, Greek.- Tes Kaines Diathekes Apanta;

Binding.- Bible, Greek.- Tes Kaines Diathekes Apanta; Nouum IESV Christi D.N. Testamentum. Ex Bibliotheca Regia, 2 parts in 1, collation: *8 **8 a-q8 r6; A-M8 N6, printed in Greek, woodcut basilisk device on titles and large printer's device on final leaf, woodcut initials and ornaments, an excellent clean copy, vertical crease to title, later bookplate of George Faudel Phillips, magnificent early 17th century red morocco with all over "fanfare" design bound for Sir Kenelm Digby, covers elaborately tooled in gilt with compartments of interlacing open strapwork filled with intricate pointellé volutes and decorations, with the arms of Sir Kenelm Digby in central compartment surrounded by eight other compartments each containing the initials "DVK", spine gilt in compartments with title in one and others similarly tooled with alternating quatrefoil & diamond designs and six raised bands, inner gilt dentelles, g.e., a little rubbed, mostly to edges and corners, folio (binding 340 x 225mm.), Paris, Robert Estienne, 1550.

.⁂ A sumptuous fanfare binding with an excellent provenance of the third and most important of Estienne's Greek editions, known as the "Editio Regia" and printed in the Garamond typeface.
Sir Kenelm Digby (1603-65) was a courtier, diplomat, natural philosopher and author. He travelled on the Continent from 1620 to 1623 and married Venetia Stanley in 1625, possibly prompting the commission of this binding as a wedding present as it contains a combination of their initials. He was devastated when she died in 1633.
Literature: Adams B1661; Darlow & Moule 4622; Mortimer, French 78; Renouard P.76.1; Schreiber 105.