Martial's Epigrammata

Martial's Epigrammata
Leonardus Pachel & Uldaricus Scinzenzeler, 1483
MARTIALIS, Marcus Valerius (40-104). Epigrammata. Commentary by Domitius Calderinus. Milan: Leonardus Pachel and Uldericus Scinzenzeler, 15 August 1483.

The Latin epigrammatist par excellence, with the painted initial and the armorial of the famous Florentine Humanist Lionardo Salviati. Martial’s witty, quotable epigrams pilloried the peccadillos of urban Rome, touching on almost every aspect of elite modern life and providing an important witness to the history of the ancient book trade (as well as one of the largest corpuses of Latin obscenity). Martial’s influence enjoyed a brief revival in the Carolingian period before finding a second wind in the Renaissance. His poems were among the first Latin classics off the press upon the advent of printing; his editio princeps appeared around 1470, with others following close on its heels. Calderinus’s humanist commentary is included here, in an edition by the most prolific Milanese printers of their day, who brought "mass production" to a city which had hitherto known only small printing offices. This copy contains the painted armorial of Lionardo Salviati, consul of the Florentine Academy and one of the founders of the Accademia della Crusca. Only one copy of this edition appears in auction records, in 1976; ISTC reports only two other copies in the United States. Not in the Bavarian State Library. HR 10817; IGI 6226; Goff M-307; ISTC im00307000.

Chancery folio (290 x 201mm). 198 leaves. Partial floral border with colorful painted initial B and coat of arms within wreath flanked by initials L S on first leaf of text, occasional brown ink guide letters (some dampstaining and spotting throughout). Modern brown morocco with earlier vellum wrapper bound in, ink fore-edge title (tightly bound, front board a little scuffed). Provenance: early marginalia including note on verso of final leaf – Lionardo Salviati (1539-1589; armorial and initials) – D. F. Pozzolini (1852-1865, Italian laywer; stamped book label, numbered 9191) – acquired from Lathrop C. Harper, Inc, New York, 28 June 1955.