OVIDE. Lot n° 23

Epistole Heroides. Venice, Giovanni Tacuino, 1507. In-folio, soft vellum (antique binding). Third edition of the Heroides published by the Venetian Giovanni Tacuino, after those of 1501 and 1505, with commentaries by Antonio Volsco and Ubertino da Crescentino framing the text of Ovid. The poem Against Ibis, which closes the volume, is glossed by Domizio Calderino and Cristoforo Zarotti. Magnificent illustration consisting of 24 woodcuts, including 2 in the title showing Ovid and his two commentators at work and St. John the Baptist, 20 triptychs in the text summarizing the mythological episodes of the Eroids, and 2 large mid-page figures at the beginning of the last two poems. The ornamentation of the text, printed in two sizes of Roman typeface, is completed by several series of woodcuts with a black background, including a large frame of putti on the first page of the text (f. a1), various sets of decorative initials, including a series of very beautiful historiated initials, and finally, below the colophon, the typographical mark of Tacuino. Some old annotations and sketches in pen, on the title in particular and added to some engravings. Endpapers renewed, rather discreet worm holes on the spine and through, some scattered stains and soiling, minor paper repairs, bottom of the first and last quires reinforced, break without missing on f. m5, small lack sparing the printed matter and hole removing three letters from the last leaf. Essling, II, n°1135.