11-18-201211-18-2012
Skinner Auctions
Skinner AuctionsBoston MA
2621BBoston
November 18, 2012 11:00 AMCalender
442

Plato (c. 427-347 BC) Omnia Platonis Opera

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Auction: Books & Manuscripts - 2621BLocation: BostonDate / Time: November 18, 2012 11:00AM

Description:

Plato (c. 427-347 BC) Omnia Platonis Opera, edited by Marcus Musurus. Venice: Aldus, 1513.
First edition in Greek, folio, two parts in one volume, collated, complete, with both internal blanks; Aldus' woodcut mark used on title and verso of colophon leaf; ownership stamp of the Gymnasium und Realschule in Zittal on the title, and another armorial stamp in ink on the title and in gilt on the back board; bookplate of the Bibliothecae Electoralis Publica pasted inside the front board; bound in contemporary blind-stamped pigskin over wooden boards, title tooled in gold inside central compartment on front board, rebacked, clasps renewed, with extensive paper restoration throughout due to former damp and mold damage, pages strengthened throughout, lacunae repaired, restoration carried out by Universitatsbibliothek in Bern, September, 1989, with their label inside the back board.
This monumental volume, the editio princeps of the complete works of Plato, represents one of Aldus Manutius's most ambitious projects. With plans in the works as early as 1497, Aldus and Musurus labored together to produce the most accurate edition of the Greek text by drawing from different manuscripts, scrutinizing variant readings, and making emendations and corrections as necessary, a landmark of ancient thought sustained and transmitted by the intellectual power of the Renaissance.
Estimate $30,000-50,000

Keywords

Marcus Musurus, Omnia Platonis Opera, Bern