Ludolph of Saxony's Vita Christi

Ludolph of Saxony's Vita Christi
Nicolaus Götz, 1474
LUDOLPHUS DE SAXONIA (c.1295-1378). Vita Christi. Cologne: Nicolaus Götz, 30 April 1474.

Second or third edition, in contemporary calf. The edition of the same year printed by Eggestein may have priority. The Vita Christi was “the most successful product of German mysticism,” owing its tremendous success to its elegant distillation of “almost the entire relevant patristic, early medieval, and contemporary literature” (Verfasserlexikon). It enjoyed great popularity among diverse proponents of reform in the 15th and 16th centuries. This was the first dated book printed by Götz. The present copy is CIBN's variant C, matching the BMC colophon and with the table in the second volume only. ISTC reports only three other copies in the United States. H 10291*; BMC I 238 (II); BSB-Ink L-260; CIBN L-263; Goff L-338; ISTC il00338000.

Two volumes, royal folio (400 x 284mm). 467 leaves (of 468, without final blank in vol. 1, one page in vol. 2 with contemporary manuscript copy pasted to blank verso where ink didn't take). Highly flourished initials in red, blue, and green or purple in addition to red Lombards, red capital strokes, metalcut printer’s device (repaired tear in text on first leaf, some dustsoiling, a few leaves toned). Contemporary calf tooled in blind with fillets over wooden boards, brass catchplates, paper labels on upper board, vellum pastedowns and flyleaves (rebacked, other restorations, lacking straps and bosses, corners showing). Provenance: Bibliothèque Picpus (stamps).