(Cardinal). Decachordum Christianum, Iulio II. Pont. Max. dicatum.

VIGERIUS, MARCUS.

Hieronymus Soncino

Fano

1507

FIRST EDITION. Author’s woodcut arms on title, within ornamental white-on-black woodcut border. Border repeated to enclose 10 full-page woodcut illustrations of the life of Jesus, one partially colored. 33 small woodcuts most with criblé background, including 6 repeats, illustrating the Passion, spaces for initials, with guide letters left blank, although a few colored.

Brunet V, 1216; Sander III no. 7589, VI plates 738-740; Adams V-746; Harvard/Mortimer Italian 537.

Hieronymus Soncino (Gershon ben Moses), the first printer at Fano, came from a family of itinerant printers, likely the most important Hebrew printers of the 15th century. He worked in Soncino, Brescia, Barco, Fano, Pesaro, Ortona, Rimini, Cesena, and Salonika. In total he produced over 150 works in Latin, Hebrew and Italian, but the present work is regarded as one of his masterpieces. Regarding Soncino’s years on the Adriatic coast in Fano, see M. Marx, Gershom Soncino’s Wanderyears in Italy, in HUCA Vol. XI (1936) pp. 457-59.