ANAKPEONTO THIO MEAH Praefixo Commentario Et Variant. Lect. [in Greek and Latin]

Two parts in one volume. The fine sedicesimo edition of 1791 with provenance of Herzog Albrecht Kasimir August von Sachsen-Teschen. Title with an engraved roundel with Anacreon's portrait by Giuseppe Lucatelli (1751-1828); the following leaf with engraved roundel portrait of the marquis Jose Nicolas de Azara. Text in Greek bound before the text in Latin. 16mo (102x68 mm), in very fine contemporary red morocco, executed by Georg Friedrich Krauss, the leading Viennese binder, for Duke Albert von Sachsen-Teschen. The boards framed within gilt Greek-key roll, the smooth spine with author's name and imprint in gilt on double green morocco lettering-pieces, four further compartments with the gilt initials 'AS' in fine gilt tools and additional gilt tooling, these separated by flat bands trimmed in green morocco and gilt tooled, green silk endpapers, board edges gilt tooled, and turn-ins with gilt dentelles, a.e.g., blue silk ribbon marker. [4], 120; 122, [2] pp. A superb and beautiful copy, the condition being essentially without flaw.

Edizione: a fine copy of anacreon by the prominent printer and punchcutter giambattista bodoni (1740-1813), offered here in a precious morocco binding for duke albert of sachsen-teschen, son of friedrich august 11 of saxony, king of poland. albert had a well-known taste for the arts, his collection of prints and drawings was one of the richest in all of europe, and he was the founder of the eponymous albertina in vienna.<br> in 1791 bodoni printed two different editions of anacreon, one in octavo, and the edition offered here in sedicesimo. the smaller anacreon is one of the finest books ever executed by the great printer. the text is set in the greek font he designed a few years prior, which was based on one of henri estienne's 1554 types. his greek font was highly admired all throughout europe. the king of france (as bodoni once stated in a letter) requested two copies of this beautiful gem of a book.<br> the very fine binding was executed by the leading viennese binder georg friedrich krauss. krauss was active between 1791 and 1824, and was one of von sachsen-teschen principle binders.<br>