Gregorius Nazianzenus, Orationes, Venice, Heirs of Aldo & Torresano, 1516, Parisian flexible calf, 1535-1540 by Jean Picard (?)

Gregorius Nazianzenus. Gregorii Nazanzeni theologi Orationes lectissimae XVI [Greek]. Venice: Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Andrea Torresano, April 1516

First edition of Saint Gregory of Nanzianzus’s sermons in the original Greek, this copy in an unusual flexible calf binding. Commonly known as Gregory the Theologian, he is also remembered as the "Trinitarian Theologian" for his role in shaping and defending the Trinitarian theology. A saint in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, he was one of the Three Cappadocians, with Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, and became the Patriarch of Constantinople.

8vo (160 x 90 mm). Roman, Greek, and italic type, 26 lines plus headline. collation: *⁸ aa-zψ⁸ &ω⁸ AA-PO⁸ (*8 a blank, AA1 signed ‘&ω’ corrected in ink): 320 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso in red and black. (Worming to inner margin of *1-bβ5, inherent paper flaw to lλ5, occasional minor marginal dampstaining.)

binding: Parisian flexible calf (160 x 90 mm), 1535-1540, possibly by Jean Picard, silver-tooled (oxidized), covers with frame of three fillets with excedrae, inner lozenge of three fillets, solid fleurons at outer angles, open dog’s head at angles of lozenge, hatched stirrup and leaf tools inside lozenge, center wreath with monogram composed of the letters CEGNOR, spine with six compartments formed by false bands of repeated flowers, compartments diapered. (Recased with restoration to spine primarily at head and tail, a bit rubbed.)

provenance: Unidentified owner, supralibros, monogram on upper cover — unidentified owner, inscription, “εκ τωv βιβλιωv MEVΣΝI ΕΡ διδασκαλoς και πρεσβυτερoς [Meusnier, teacher and priest],” on verso of final leaf — abbé J.R. Thibout (1795-1857), red inkstamp on title-page — Léon Gruel (1841-1923), according to loosely inserted bookseller’s slip — Librairie Laurent Coulet, Catalogue 21, Paris 1998, item 9 (“rarissime spécimen de la collection Gruel”). acquisition: Purchased from Libreria antiquaria Pregliasco, Turin, 1999. references: UCLA 144; Renouard 75/1; Edit16 21740; USTC 834127