Bound for Jean Grolier.- Negri Stefano Stephani Nigri Elegantissime è Graeco authorum subditorum translationes, uidelicet., Philostrati Icones. Pythagorae Carmen aureum Athenaei Collectanea Musonij philosophi Tyrij De principe optimo Isocratis de regis muneribus oratio, & alia multa scitu digniss. & rara inuentu, first edition, first issue, collation: AA⁴ A-P⁴ Q²; A-M⁴ N⁶ O-Y⁴ Z⁶ (L⁴, N⁶ & Z⁶ blank), text in Latin & Greek, dedication to Jean Grolier, general and divisional titles within ornate woodcut decorative border, woodcut decorative initials, occasional light foxing and staining, one endleaf vellum, the others paper, dark brown calf, gilt, by Jean Picard for Jean Grolier in the 1540s, upper cover with central title ‘GRAECA ALIQVOT OPVSCVLA A STEPHANO NIGRO IN LATINVM VERSA.’ and name at foot ‘IO. GROLIERII ET AMICORVM’, lower cover with Grolier’s personal motto at centre ‘PORTIO MEA DOMINE SIT IN TERRA VIVENTIVM.’, both covers with central lettering within an undulating cartouche composed of a single fillet and floral and foliage tools (cf. Nixon C. de P. 1 & 17), this within a lozenge of two fillets with large bud and foliage tool resting at four points on the outer fillet (cf. Nixon C. de P. 16), the lozenge intertwined with a square double fillet border with concave spaces at head, foot and corners, the latter to accommodate large floral and foliage corner-pieces (cf. Nixon C. de P. 1, 2 & 3), all within a single fillet border and an outermost double fillet border, between which blind-ruling with double oblique lines at corners, spine in four full and two half-compartments with raised bands (those of the half-compartments with gilt cross-hatching), each with small central fleuron (cf. Nixon C. de P. 12**) within gilt and blind-ruled single fillet border, small holes for ?metal bosses to corners and points of lozenge on both covers, joints and spine ends skilfully repaired (repairs noted in Heber catalogue), rubbed, g.e., housed in a modern red crushed morocco slip-case, a wide margined copy, 4to (text block 223 x 153mm.; binding 228 x 160mm.), [Milan], [Giovanni Castiglione for Andrea Calvo], 1521.

⁂ The Jean Grolier (dedicatee)-Heber-Christie-Miller copy of this collection of translations of Greek authors. Jean Picard (fl.1540s) was a Parisian bookseller and bookbinder. 'Grolier bought and had bound by Jean Picard at least 230 books, probably more than half his third and final library...All the bindings had Grolier's name, Christian name, and motto tooled on the covers (Hobson, RBC, p.59).

Provenance: Jean Grolier de Servières, vicomte d’Aguisy (c.1489/90-1565), Treasurer-General of France and bibliophile, bound for him with his name and personal motto to covers; Richard Heber (1773-1833), his sale, Sotheby's Part I, 10th April, 1834, lot 5135 (‘Bibliotheca Heberiana’ stamp to front endpaper (cf. De Ricci p.104)); [thereafter according to Austin] Thorpe (bookseller); Christie-Miller, sold Sotheby's, 3rd & 4th May, 1920, lot 489, to Ellis (bookseller) for £91; Wells (bookseller); Newton; Reichner (bookseller); "An Argentine lady"; Harper (bookseller); Breslauer (bookseller); private collection; UK private individual (current vendor).

Literature: Gabriel Austin, The Library of Jean Grolier, 1971, 348; H.M. Nixon & Anthony Hobson 'Grolier's bindings classified by workshop' in Anthony Hobson Renaissance Book Collecting. Jean Grolier...books and bindings, 1999, p.226 (item 348); [H.M. Nixon] The British Museum. Bookbindings from the library of Jean Grolier. A loan exhibition 23 September-31 October 1965, 1965, for individual tools cf. plates C-E (Nixon had attributed these to Claude de Picques, but they were later attributed by Hobson to Jean Picard) and cf. binding with 51 (Velmazio); On Negri's dedication of the work to Grolier see Hobson's RBC, pp.28 & 30; EDIT 16 CNCE 47085.