BOCCACCIO, GIOVANNI.- ADRIAN SEVIN [Transl.].- ANNE DE HUMIERES.-
Le Philocope de Messire Iehan Boccace Florentin, Contenãt 'lhistoire de Fleury & Blanchefleur, divise en sept livres traduictz d'Italien en Francoys par Adrian Sevin gentilhomme de la maison de monsieur de Gié.
Paris, On les vend ... par Denys Ianot imprimeur & Librayre, 1542. [achevé February 24]. In folio. W. woodc. printer's mark ["thistle"] of Janot [comp. Renouard 480 for a similar device, not the same block, however]vertical mottoes 'Patere aut abstine. Nul ne sy frotte'. In the text 36 woodcut ills. (one large woodcut on leaf 50) including repeats, printed from [according to Mortimer, see below] 15 blocks. All woodcuts printed within a variety of strip borders containing coats of arms. 18th century mottled clf., older and expertly executed rebacking, the original spine laid down, corners repaired, skillfully executed hand sewn head-bands, blue silk reading ribbon. (Edges of covers gilttooled, partially less visible due to restauration.). (Leather on the covers acidified.). [a6, A - Z6, AA - FF6]. (Quire S4 missigned R4). (6 lvs., 174 lvs.). (I-II), III - VI, 2nd I to CLXXIIII). (Misfoliations: XXI as XXIII; XLVII as XLI; XLVIII as XLIII; LXIII as LXII; LXXVII as LXXII; CIIII as CIII; CXVII as CXVIII; CXLIII as CXLIIII; CXLIIII as CXLI; CLXXII as CLXVIII). (Misprinting: XIX as XIXIII; LIIII as LIII1). (XII, 348 pp.). (leaf 164 [EEii] lower righthand corner a vague watersp., idem for EE (v, vi) and FF i - (vi)). (Inner hinges splitting, but holding firm.). (All edges marbled.). (Title and first lvs. some contemp. annots. in ink, throughout the text some inkspots, some ink smudges, a very small pinhole wormh. top inner blank margin. (Bookplate Firmin Didot on upper paste down; small libr. stamp and inscr. in ink on title, see explanation of provenance below; small drawing in ink on E6 recto, lf. XXX.). (Edges of bookblock marbled.). (The marbling on occasion 'leaking through' onto the blank margin of the paper, see for example leaf H1 recto, leaf XLIII). First edition in French translation of Boccaccio's early prose novel "Filocolo". The translation was made by Adrien Sevin, secretary to François Duc de Rohan. 'In his dedication to Madame Claude de Rohan, Sevin exposes the historical background of the story of Florio and Biancafiore and the romantic circumstances of its composition, then continues with an adaptation of Luigi da Porto's novella "Giulietta e Romeo". Although Sevin knew Italian well, he altered the names found in the original text, the lovers for instance becoming Halquadrich and Burglipha, and the scene being shifted from Verona to 'Morée', at 'Coron'.: Stephen Rawles, 'Denis Janot (fl. 1529 - 1544), Parisian Printer and Bookseller. A Bibliography', item 164, pp. 455 - 459. ' Harvard French, 105, pp. 136 - 137, 'Janot's thistle device ... on the title-page. Thirty-five woodcuts, by repetition of 15 blocks, 2 1/4 inch x 3, and one larger 5 3/8 x 3 1/4, all printed within a variety of strip borders containing coats of arms. The blocks and borders are from the series designed for the 1540 Janot Amadis de Gaula [see Mortimer nr. 18]. Tory "lettres fleuries" initials and a few criblé initials. Roman letters, italic marginalia.': H. Hauvette, 'Les plus anciennes traductions françaises de Boccace (xive - xviie siecle) [Bordeaux, 1909], pp. 13 - 17: On aii verso a dedicatory poem to the reader by Nicolas de Herberay, translator of the 'Amadis'. On the same page 2 further annots. in ink in the blank margin 'ou vas tu cher seur' ; A number of inscriptions on the title page indicating provenance of Anne de Humieres, comtesse de Chaulnes, sister of the Marquis d'Ancre (16th century), lower blank margin for example: 'Ce livre apartiens a madame anne de humieres contaise de chaune gouvernante'. In a different hand six lines of verse: "Je veux aymer se nom // Jusques en fin de ma vie // Françoise, je te prie // Me monstrer un raion // Du soleil sobsz lequel // Mon âmie est aseruie. //: On the title, leaf E1 recto, the ink stamp of Armand Charles Daniel, Comte de Firmasz-Pierez (1770 - 1828), on the front paste down the label of Ambroise Firmin Didot date 1850 (Sale Paris 1883, lot 386).: Bibl. Nationale (1975 exhibition) Boccace en France, 132: Gatherode, P.M., 'The French translators of Boccaccio' in "Italica" 46 (1969), pp. 300 - 309.: Brunet, also suppl. I.142: Omont, 'Janot', nr. 125: Brun, p. 158: Not in Murray, Rotschild: A lovely string of provenances.
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Keywords: floris presentation literature blancefleur association 16th c inscribed copy NVVA2018 Brk