INCUNABLE. THOMAS A KEMPIS. DE IMITATIONE CHRISTI - Lot 90

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  3. INCUNABLE. THOMAS A KEMPIS. DE IMITATIONE CHRISTI - Lot 90
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Lot n° 90
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INCUNABLE. THOMAS A KEMPIS. DE IMITATIONE CHRISTI - Lot 90
INCUNABLE. THOMAS A KEMPIS. DE IMITATIONE CHRISTI [INCUNABLE]. THOMAS A KEMPIS. DE IMITATIONE CHRISTI. Incipit libellus consolatorius ad instructõ deuotorum [...] cujus primum capitulum est De Imitatione Christi. [Augsburg, Gunther Zainer, before June 5, 1473]. Small gothic folio (167 X 256 mm for the body of the work) of (76) long-line ff., 35 per page; brown morocco, boards decorated with cold-stamped vertical framing and scrolls, ribbed spine entirely decorated with cold scrolls, gilt title, gold-chased edges (19th century binding). Some rubbing and minor scuffing to binding, restorations to first and last ff. with some lettering removed, light spotting in lateral margins, tiny worm work at bottom of quire. VERY RARE PRINCEPS INCUNABLE EDITION of the Imitatio Christi (or Imitation of Jesus Christ). Attributed today to Thomas A Kempis, a Dutch monk who died in July 1471, this treatise on spirituality is considered "the KEY WORK OF MODERN DEVOTION, a current of thought that had a considerable influence on the spiritual and intellectual renewal of Europe at the end of the Middle Ages" (Martine Delaveau and Yann Sordet). First published in manuscript form, it went through more than 2,000 editions from around 1470 to the end of the 19th century, making it ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS IN THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALITY, the most widely read and published during this period after the Bible. Rubricated in red ink, this editio princeps was printed in Augsburg by Gunther ZAINER, the famous typographer who introduced printing to the city in 1467. This Imitation of Jesus Christ does not appear in the distinct, autonomous form of a book as such: it is integrated into a collection of pieces entitled Opuscula varia, which contains several parts, with the Imitatio Christi occupying ff. 111 to 187. These are late-medieval manuals or treatises on spirituality, with a particular emphasis on the importance of interiority in the process of salvation. But each of these treatises was also sold separately. A PRECIOUS INCUNABLE EXAMPLE, complete with all leaves, well preserved in an imitation-decorated morocco binding with chased gilt edges. Provenance: "Doulz" or "Doulx", with a first heraldic stamp in blue ink on the verso of the 1st leaf and a second stamp on the white verso of the last leaf, with the monogram "COC", all probably dating from the 19th century. ¶ De Backer, Essai bibliographique sur le livre De Imitatione Christi, 1 : " Première édition très rare " - Bulletin du Bibliophile belge, 4ème année, 1869, pp. 269-276 - Delaveau & Sordet, Un succès de librairie européen : l'Imitatio Christi (1470-1850), 3 - Delaveau & Sordet, Édition et diffusion de l'Imitation de Jésus-Christ (1470-1800) - Hain, 8589 - Brunet, III-411 : " Première édition très rare " - ISTC, ii00004000, lists 87 institutions worldwide with at least one copy of this edition, including 4 in France (Musée Condé in Chantilly, Strasbourg, Tours and 2 ex. at the Bnf in Paris) - Goff, I4 - Polain, 2050.
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