07-23-201907-23-2019
Skinner Auctions
Skinner AuctionsBoston MA
3269BBoston
July 23, 2019 11:00 AMCalender
192

Rainerius de Pisis (c. 1115/1117-1160) edited by Jacobus Florentinus (15th Century) Pantheologia, sive Summa Universae Theologiae.

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$18,450$15,000
Auction: Books & Manuscripts - 3269BLocation: BostonDate / Time: July 23, 2019 11:00AM

Description:

Rainerius de Pisis (c. 1115/1117-1160) edited by Jacobus Florentinus (15th Century) Pantheologia, sive Summa Universae Theologiae. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 12 February 1477 [The colophon reads "pridie Idus Februarij," erroneously dated in BMC as 14 February]. Two large folio volumes bound in full uniform contemporary blind-tooled sheepskin over wooden boards, corner and central bosses, four original catches and one of four original clasps intact on both volumes (three clasps and all leather straps replaced; both volumes rebacked),parchment index tabs on fore-edges of leaves; sold at Christie's in 1981; ex libris Eric Sexton, number 115, with his gold-tooled morocco bookplate and shelf label; long inscriptions on first blank in volume one and in the binder's blank at the end of the second volume, noting a gift to a German monastery in the 16th century; bindings somewhat scuffed, 859 of 863 leaves, unsigned, unpaginated, lacking two blank leaves (32 and 190) in the first volume, and two blank leaves (441 and 863) in the second; blanks 1, 33, 102, and 146 present in volume one; text printed in two columns, gothic letter throughout, large margins, initials added by hand including a fully illuminated fourteen-line initial on leaf 34 (volume one) done in green with a red background, blue and yellow frame, white tracery and large foliate extensions in the vertical margin; eighteen other large capitals, (some with grotesque faces) done in penwork in red, blue, and green; smaller initials added in red and blue, with initial strokes and paragraph marks in red; two minor marginal tears to the penultimate leaf of the first volume, last leaf with two repaired tears, one affecting one column of the text; first leaf of second volume with water stain at the foot, some marginal worming to last leaf, second volume; each volume 18 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 5 in. (2)

"The Pantheologia of Rainerius de Pisa, the Dominican who died in 1351, must be one of the longest books ever composed in the Middle Ages. (Taking into account all the many abbreviations, I calculate at a conservative estimate that this means that the Pantheologia contains something in the region of 1,350,000 words.) [...] After [the] massive productions [six editions in the incunabula period] (the size of which never struck terror into fifteenth century printers),the work seems to have quickly faded out of popularity." (Quoted from Notes on the bibliography of Rainerius de Pisis, by Dennis E. Rhodes)

Goff R8; HC 13018*; Pell Ms 10008 (9797); CIBN R-6; Neveu 507; Richard 419; Zehnacker 1969; Polain (B) 3314; IGI 8271; Bod-inc R-004; Sheppard 1434-1436; Rhodes (Oxford Colleges) 1497; Pr 1972; BMC II 413; BSB-Ink R-5; GW M36940.
Estimate $15,000-25,000


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