LITURGIES. LATIN RITE. MISSALS.

Missale secundum morem Sancte Romane Ecclesie.

      [Colophon on T9v:] Venice: Giovanni Battista Sessa, ‘1490’ [1493-1498]. - 8vo. 176 x 120 mm. ff. [8], 280 [ie. 281], [1]. printed in in red & black throughout. roman type, title in gothic. 34 lines. 2 columns. Sessa’s cat and mouse device (Kristeller 289) printed in red on title, with a different device (Kristeller 288) at the end, also printed in red. woodcut initials & red-printed Lombards. musical notes on red printed staves. full-page woodcut of the Crucifixion on q4v. contemporary Venetian dark brown calf over thin wooden bds, blind-stamped side panels enclosing 2 gilt fleurons & gilt roundel with the Holy Monogram, spine compartments filled with blind diagonal intersecting triple fillets, two ornamental brass clasps with catches, edges gilt & gauffered (head & foot of spine worn away, a few minor abrasions elsewhere, small piece cut out & replaced from lower blank margin of title not affecting any printing, old stamp deleted from lower margin of penultimate leaf verso - marginal repair on recto, neat repairs to bottom margins of a few leaves, overall an excellent tall and fresh copy). in modern quarter calf felt-lined drop-back box. An elegantly produced small format Roman missal in its original Venetian binding: the gilt roundel with the Holy Monogram appears to be identical with that used on another liturgical book of the same period illustrated by De Marinis (No. 2199; repro. facing II, p. 120). For a discussion of the beautiful full-page woodcut of the Crucifixion, see Rivoli, Missels, p. 61, where a German influence is noted (cfSander). The colophon date of 1490 is incorrect, as Alexander VI became Pope in 1492 and his bull on the feast of Saint Augustine belongs to the following year. The type used (83 R) is here in its earliest state, which does not appear to have persisted after 1498. This sets the actual date of printing between 1493 and 1498. According to Kristeller the present work marks the earliest appearance of the famous Sessa cat and mouse device. Incunable missals are often defective and in poor condition owing to extensive use. This is a fine complete example in its first binding. The missal itself is rare, with Goff citing only the Huntington copy; the BM copy lacks a total of 28 leaves, including the title and the cut of the Crucifixion. BMC V 480-81. Duggan 113. Goff M-703. Hain-Copinger 11395. IGI 6693. Rivoli 157:35. Sander 4755. Weale p. 138. Weale-Bohatta 943. [Attributes: Hard Cover]