Themistius. Ta tou Themistiou Euphradous hapanta, tou testi paraphraseis, kai logoi. Alexandrou Aphrodisieos peri psyches biblia dyo, kai hen peri heimarmenes. Omnia Themistii opera, hoc est paraphrases, et orationes. Alexandri Aphrodisiensis libri duo de anima, etde fato unus [Greek]. Venice: Paolo Manuzio & Heirs of Andrea Torresano,♌ May 1534

A binding๊ made for Henri II, King of Franc𒈔e, probably by Gomar Estienne, but evidently never part of the Fontainebleau Library.

This volume has been the subject of study and speculation for a century and half. It was first noticed, when in the collection of Robert Samuel Turner, in a paper, "Bookbinding Considered as a Fine Art, Mechanical Art, and Manufacture," read by Henry B. Wheatley before the Society of Arts, 14 April 1880. Nearly fifty years later, this royal binding, lent by Sir Philip Sassoon, was featured in the seventh exhibition of London's First Edition Club, held at 25 Park Lane (1926). In the accompanying catalogue, Thirty Bindings, Geoffrey Hobson wrote, "This is another of the imitations of Greek [i.e. alla greca] bindings already referred to, though in this case the character of the binding has been somewhat obscured by the fact that it has been re-backed. … It is possible that these bindings were copied directly from Greek originals, rather than from the Aldine imitations, since all have, or have had, metal bosses at the four corners, a feature which is neither found in the Venetian books nor on other Henri II bindings. It is noticeable also that all these 'Greek' bindings for Henri II have a capital Roman A or B immediately after or below the Greek title at the top of the upper board; probably this was a class-mark. Mr. E. P. Goldschmidt, in his remarks on bindings of this type … ๊observes that while imitating Greek technical peculiarities, occidental binders used the same decorating tools as on their ordinary bindings. This is true; but the binders who worked for Henri II, at all events, seem to have reserved a simple decorative scheme, possibly inspired by a Greek model, for their Greek books, as in the example shown. We do not find on these Greek books any of the elaborate interlacing patterns used with such brilliant effec🍬t on other books in the king's Library" (p. 28).

In describing another of the alla greca bindings listed by Hobson—on Theophrastus, De historia plantarum libri decem (Venice: Aldus, 1497)—Sotheby’s auction catalogue of the library of Mortimer L. Schiff (London, 23–25 March 1938, lot 550) offered an alternate explanation for the Roman letters following the Greek title on the front covers: "French authorities consider that these bindings are the work of a bindery established by Francis I. at Fontainebleau, probably under a Greek, which continued to work into the following reign. … A capital A or B often appears on the upper cover [on the present Themistius it is an A]; M. Omont considered that this was intended to distinguish the different cop🧸ies of the same author, A being the first, B the second, and so on."

Probably the final word on this binding was given by Anthony Hobson in personal correspondence to T. Kimball Brooker that accompanies the lot (typed letter signed by Hobson ["All best wishes to you both, Yours sincerely, Anthony"], one page on letterhead of The Glebe House, Whitsbury. Fordingbridge, Hampshire, 19 June 1981:

"The binding of your Themistios is a very great problem. The book is certainly a remboîtage, as it does not have the pressmarks of the French Royal Library in the upper margin of the first page. The other awkward circumstance is that the contemporary catalogue of the Fontainebleau Library contains three manuscripts of Them❀istios (and no printed edition), all of which are still in the Bibliothèque Nationale in their original bindings. The first, lettered A, is ms.gr.2049, B is ms.gr.1090 and C is ms.gr.1886. A is described as being in saffron morocco, the other two in dark blue. A and B are said to be of small format, i.e. 8vo or small 4to.

"It is clear therefore that your volume does not correspond to anything in the Fontainebleau catalogue. At the same time I feel convinced that the binding is genuine. The colour of the morocco is exactly right for a sixteenth-century binding, and could not, I believe, have been simulated in the nineteenth century. The contrast between the colour of the sides and the spine is exactly what one finds in an old binding rebacked in the nineteenth century. The tools appear to be identical with those found on genuine bindings, with the single exception that the crown over the capital H is different from the one of which I have a rubbing. But the Royal binder's kit would very likely have included at least two crowns. Most convincing of all is the lettering of the author's name on the upper cover, with the sigma fractionally larger than the other letters. This is exactly the same as the lettering🅷 on Fontainebleau manuscripts in the Bibliothèque Nationale.

"One could only speculate that this binding was rejected, for reasons which cannot now be discovered, and lingered in some old library until it was rediscovered in the nineteenth century, repaired and rebacked and provided with a new copy of the printed book which it probably originally contained. Now that the records of Gruel, the main remboîteur and repairer of thꦕ🐟e last century, have been scattered to the four winds, we are unlikely ever to know the truth. "

Editio princeps of the works of Themistius, a Greek rhetorician from Paphlagonia. He opened a rhetorical school at Constantinople, where he was appointed prefect by the emperor Theodosius I and tutor to the emperor's son and successor, Arcadius. The texts of the Paraphrases and eight orations (Or. 18-25) of Themistius, the De anima and De fato of Alexander of Aphrodis🧸ias, were e✨dited by Vettore Trincavelli (1491-1563).

Folio (306 x 202 mm). (Lightly washed.) Greek type, with some Roman and italic, 54 lines plus headline. collation: *⁴ A–O⁸ ρ¹⁰ Q–X⁸ Y⁴: 178 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title-page and Y4v, woodcut strapwork initials and headpieces, five- and seven-line𒐪 initial spaces with guide letters, headpiece, heading, and initial on A1r printed in red. (Lightly washed.)

binding: French light brown morocco (312 x 214 mm), ca. 1550, for Henri II, probably by Gomar Estienne at the King's Greek bindery, originally alla greca, covers rebacked and incorporated into western binding devised by F. Bedford (active 1840– early 1880s), borders of fillets in gilt and blind, central frame of gilt flowers flanked by gilt fillet and blind fillets, central cartouche formed by four gilt bows containing Henri II's arms ensigned with the collar of Order of St. Michael above his initials with crowns and a crescent, within inner and outer frames are interlaced crescents and Ds, crowned Hs, and fleurs- de-lys, gilt-letter at top of central panel ΘEMIΣTIOΣ. A, traces of four metal bosses, rebacked spine gilt with crowned cipherand fleur-de-lys, edges gilt and gauffered (possibly by Bedford). (Rear cover extensive﷽ly restored, ex📖tremities rubbed.) Green buckram folding-case, red morocco labels.

provenance: Henri II (1519–1559), King of France (r. 1547–1559), supralibros — Robert Samuel Turner (1818–1887), morocco booklabel; Sotheby's London, 18–30 June 1888, lot 2977; purchased by — Bernard Quaritch, London (£86); Catalogue 93 (London, 1889), item 140 (£110); Catalogue 166 (London, 1897), item 439 (£100) — Librairie Théophile Belin, Paris; Catalogue de livres précieux, riches reliures ornées et blasonnées, provenances illustres (Paris, 1908), item 551 (FF 5000); Livres anciens de provenances historiques (Paris, 1910), item 5 (FF 5000); Livres avec riches reliures historiques des XVIe, XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles (Paris, 1912), item 4 (FF 5000) — Sir Philip Albert Gustave David Sassoon, 3rd Baronet (1888–1939) — Sotheby's London, 4–5 February 1952, lot 255; purchased by — "Michael" (£260) — William Tudor Wilkinson (1879– 1969); — Étienne et Antoine Ader, Jean-Louis Picard & Claude Guérin, Paris, Bibliothèque Tudor Wilkinson, 6 March 1970, lot 92; purchased by — unidentified owner (FF 3800). acquisition: Purchased from Librairie Paul Jammes, Paris, 1979. references: UCLA 270; Adams T447; Cataldi Palau 133; Edit16 27232; Renouard 111/3; USTC 858926; for the binding: G. D. Hobson, Thirty Bindings, p. 28 and pl. XI