MEXIA, Fernando.

Libro intitulado nobiliario.

      Seville, Pedro Brun and Juan Gentil; 30 June 1492. FIRST EDITION folio, 96 unnumbered ll, a6 b-h8 i10 k-m8. Gothic letter in two sizes, 48 lines plus headline to a full page, double column, ornate white on black woodcut initials; two opening 17-line paragraphs in red, final ll. with 47 woodcut shields, 3 herald's tunics and 15 pennants. Some ll. lightly browned, some probably washed long since; a very good, large copy in 19th C crushed crimson morocco, covers triple gilt ruled, spine with richly gilt compartments, inner dentelles gilt, a.e.g., two 20th C bookplates on pastedown. First and only early edition of the first book on heraldry printed in Spain in the only known production of this Seville press and one of a tiny number of Spanish secular vernacular incunables that have survived. About 850 Spanish incunable editions of all sorts are known, of which more than 70% consist of religious/philosophical/classical/humanistic/grammatical texts - the staples of university and church. By contrast, only 25 historical editions of the period are recorded in aggregate, in all 3 printed languages of the Peninsula - Spanish, Catalan and Portuguese - less than 3% of the total (see BMC X, G.D. Painter's fascinating 'General Introduction'). The present work in fact is not just heraldic, but also deals extensively with the rights, duties and attributes of the princes and nobility of Spain, illustrated with biographical exemplars depicting their chivalry, greatness and other noble virtues, generally categorised under 'history.' Beginning with the dedication to Fernando "el Católico", the first book contains a history of the world from Adam, discussing the different ages of the world, mentioning the fall of Babylon, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the coming of Christ. Drawing on sources such as St Jerome and Eusebius, matters geographical and anthropological are discussed - the division and population of the world, focussing on Asia, Libya, Armenia, Persia, Africa, Egypt, and Judea. The discovery of arts and sciences, decrees on nobility, and its nature - theologically, morally and naturally, politics, orders of precedence in heredity, are also discussed. Chapters LXXV-C then enumerate in meticulous detail the duties, prerogatives, and privileges of the different offices and dignities, covering viscounts, barons, generals, judges, legal authorities, marshalls, cavalry, maestros, marquisses, Roman officials, mentioning dress, residences, accoutrements etc. In the second book come discussions of lineage in the Classics, drawn i.a from Ovid, Livy and religious commentators such as Augustine. The third book focusses on heraldry proper. Beginning with a discussion of insignia and coats of arms that are borne on banners and shields, Mexia considers the right to bear arms, and the practice of adopting the arms of important figures as a sign of subjection. Sharing arms, and the technicalities of doing so are touched upon - a precursor of copyright - and the inheritance of arms by both legitimate and illegitimate children is discussed. The pictorial display and deeper significance of arms, standards, blazons, signals and pennants are dealt with; covering their invention and use; how animals should be depicted, colours, metals, iconography and their significance, and discussing which physical materials are most suitable for the adornment of the armigerous classes, accompanied by numerous small woodcut crests. Throughout the work, Mexía discusses and attacks the conclusions of Bártolo de Sassoferrato, who had composed the heraldic work "Tractatus de Insignis et Armis" in 1335.Fernando Mexia was a noted poet from Jaen in Andalucia, and this present work is part of the long 15th C tradition of the study of the nobility and cavalry, developing themes otherwise addressed in works by Alfonso of Cartagena and Diego de Valera.  BMC X p.45 (incomplete). Hain 11133 (11132 is a ghost, see Palau). Haebler 141. Vindel V 130:44. Goff M531. Palau 167245.