Pomponius Laetus's Romanae historiae compendium

Pomponius Laetus's Romanae historiae compendium
Bernardinus Venetus, 1499
POMPONIUS LAETUS, Julius (1425-1497). Romanae historiae compendium. –SABELLICUS, Marcus Antonius (1436-1506). Vita Pomponii. Venice: Bernardinus Venetus, de Vitalibus, 23 April 1499.

First edition of a treatise on Roman history by the founder of the Academia Romana. A student of Lorenzo Valla, the antiquarian and collector Pomponius Laetus became obsessed with reviving the culture of ancient Rome, founding his learned society on the model of Ficino’s Platonic Academy in Florence. Calling himself the pontifex maximus and celebrating Roman holidays with fellow members including Bartolomeo Platina, he eventually drew the negative attention of Pope Paul II. He and other members were imprisoned and tortured on charges of conspiracy; however, charges were eventually dropped and meetings resumed under the humanist Pope Sixtus IV. This work was published posthumously by his student and curator of the Biblioteca Marciana, Marcus Antonius Sabellicus, who contributes a biography of the author. HC 9830*; BMC V 549; BSB-Ink P-683; Bod-inc L-019; IGI 7987; Goff L-24; ISTC il00024000.

Chancery quarto (199 x 137mm). 60 leaves. Woodcut initials (some light toning and staining). Modern brown morocco (some staining and scuffing to rear board). Provenance: occasional contemporary marginalia in Italian – Petit-Seminaire St-Joseph Precigne (ink stamp) – purchased from Livres rares Georges Heilbrun, Paris, 22 July 1964.