Barbatia, Andreas.

In tertio decretalium libro sup[er] titulis de testamentis [et] successionibus ab intestato co[m]mentarii cum addicionibus.

[Barcelona, Pere Miquel] 1 December 1492.

Folio (251 x 187 mm.). [xii]p., dcccclxxxxiii [r. 997], [1] columns. Gothic types, double-column, initial spaces blank.

Retrospective blind-decorated brown morocco with repetitions of a solid foliage tool (Brugalla, 1950), gilt-lettered spine title and board edges, blind- and gilt-ruled turns-ins, all edges gilt.

Second and ?Final Edition — FOUR COPIES KNOWN, ONLY ONE OTHER OUTSIDE SPAIN (Bologna Collegio di Spagna; one U.S. library holds the first printing).
            Three works on inheritance by the Sicilian jurist. The first and longest text treats wills and final testaments. The second comments on Rinuccius’ late 13th-century writings on the same topic. The third text concerns intestate succession.
            Barbatia taught civil and canon law at Bologna and became rich assisting municipalities, individuals, corporations and rulers, including Pope Paul II and Ferdinand II of Aragon. The latter elevated Barbatia to Royal Counselor and made him part of the royal household.
            THIS BEAUTIFUL FOLIO IS THE EXCEPTION to the BMC dictum: “The great and indispensable textbooks of canon law…were never printed in Spain during the fifteenth century” (X: xv).
            Miquel was only active for five or six years (1491-?97) and may have sought favor with the crown by publishing works by its preferred lawyer. In 1493 Miquel issued the unique edition of Barbatia’s responses to questions about the present work (GW 3375; two copies, both in Spain). In good condition (lower blank margin of the first leaf neatly repaired).
¶Vindel, El Arte tipográfico en España durante el siglo XV I: 71 & reprod.; Palau 23682; Besta, “Le Fonti” in Storia del diritto italiano ed. Del Giudice I(2): 892-94; Dizionario biografico dei giuristi italiani edd. Birocchi et al. I: 165-6; Schulte, Die Geschichte…des canonischen Rechts II: 306-11; GW 3374 (variant with f. 257^r col. 2 line 15 consectum for consectu[m]); ISTC ib00114500; not in Goff.

Item #11135

Price: $35,000.00