VITA CHRISTI - Lot 9

VITA CHRISTI Vita Christ. La vida de nostre salvador Jhesuchrist al lengaget de Tholosa, am lo trespassament de Nostra Dama, et la venjansa et destruction de Hierusalem, fayta per Vaspasien emperador de Roma, ystoriada. Tholosa [Toulouse], a la portaria, 1536. In-8, 57 pages, printed in gothic script, 39 lines per page, decorated with interlacing or floret lettering and woodcut vignettes. Title in black and red, framed by a woodcut architectural portico. Extremely rare edition of the Vie de Jésus Christ, translated into the langue d'Oc, to, according to its epilogue, "satisfy a la petition fayta per lo noble et fertil pays de Languedoc, a causa que tots no entenden pas la lengua francesa, al plus pres de la lengua tholosana que es estat possible, como vila capital et principala deldict pays de Languedoc." An 1850 article in issue no. 9 of the Revue du bibliophile mentions an almost similar edition, dated 1544, and presented as a unique copy of this work by its author, the physician and bibliophile Desbarreaux-Bernard. In November 1863, he informed the Toulouse journal of the discovery of a second copy, probably older (he dated it to around 1520, thanks to a handwritten note), but undated. Our volume is therefore the oldest dated copy on record. The 1544 copy is now in the collections of the Toulouse municipal library. It differs from our copy in the ornamental figures of the large lettrines, which in our copy consist solely of tracery, the number of lines and a few layout elements. Full leather binding. Two interleaved manuscript leaves. "Desbarreaux-Bernard, Toulouse, 1850. (a very incomplete copy in poor condition, with only 57 of the 88 leaves indicated by Desbarreaux-Bernard, wear and tears to the leaves, particularly at the end of the volume, very worn binding, old boards, modern spine entirely restored, some handwritten annotations).