Contarini, Della republica di Venetia, Venice, Aldus, 1591, vellum, Fletcher of Saltoun copy

Contarini, Gaspare. Della republica et magistrati di Venetia libri V… Con un ragionamento intorno alla medesima di M. Donato Giannotti Fiorentino. Et i discorsi di M. Sebastiano Erizzo, & di M. Bartolomeo Cavalcanti: aggiontovi uno di nuovo dell'eccellenza delle republiche… Venice: Aldo II Manuzio, 1591

Cardinal Gaspare Contarini's work on the institutions of Venice was written in around 1515 but not published until after his death in 1542; Aldo's 1578 edition of Contarini's works included this tract (UCLA 908). The final section, Dell'eccellenza delle republiche, was written by Aldo the younger and previously appeared as a separate pamphlet in 1575 (UCLA 874).

8vo (155 x 103 mm). Roman type, 40 lines plus headline. collation: A-Z⁸ Aa⁸: 192 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title- page, woodcut cartouche at head of each chapter, woodcut initials.

binding: Contemporary vellum (162 x 111 mm), with stubs from two pairs of red and blue silk ties, early ink lettering on spine. (Binding lightly soiled.)

provenance: Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1655-1716), signature "AFletcher" at head of title-page (Willems, Bibliotheca Fletcheriana, 1999, p.64; not found in the sale catalogues of books from the Fletcher library at Replica Shoes 's in 1966-1967). acquisition: Purchased from Libreria Gonnelli, Florence, 1982. references: UCLA 1012; Edit16 13140; Renouard 247/9