Artis Notarie. Venice, 1538.
Legal Landmark: A Primary Source for the Evolution of Evidence and Record-Keeping Spelungano, Leone. Artis Notarie. Venice: [per Joannem Andream dictum Guadagninum et fratres de Vavassoribus], 1538. Octavo (5-3/4" x 4"; 15 x 10.5 cm). [viii], 253, [3] ff. Nineteenth century dark green quarter sheep over marbled boards with complimentary endpapers. Raised bands with red gilt-lettering piece and gilt fillets. Light rubbing to extremities; pin hole near head of front joint. Text in Gothic type with Roman headline; woodcut title page printed in red and black with elaborate ornamental frame; woodcut initials throughout text; colophon and large printer's mark (Valvassori brothers) on verso of last page. Light toning to interior; occasional light and mostly unobtrusive foxing at edges. Illegible 19th-century owner signature to title page; same owner signature (abraded) and 19th-century annotations (in Italian, discussing other editions of this work and the provenance of this copy) to verso of front endleaf. An attractive, well-preserved copy. $4,500. * Third edition. In the medieval and early modern Italian legal system, the notary was as important a figure as a lawyer or judge. "Notaries were involved in virtually any transaction of consequence," as Michael Widener notes. "As a result, handbooks for notaries became a significant niche market for book publishers. [...] Since much of the surviving records of public and private business in early modern Italy were produced by notaries, these books continue to serve as useful tools in historical research, and additionally as source material for the history of the written word, for the history of recordkeeping, and for the evolution of standards of evidence." Artis Notarie is a popular, well-received example of a notarial handbook. Transmitted extensively in manuscript during the life of its author, civil jurist Leo Speluncanus, it was first published in Naples in 1526 with editorial oversight by notary Alessandro Pomarico. Like its manuscript predecessors, the print version enjoyed a wide circulation. At least nine editions were published, the last in 1574. The 1538 edition is rare. OCLC locates 6 complete copies worldwide, 3 in North America (Harvard Law School, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin). Mayfair Rare Books & Manuscripts, Notaries in Italy.
Price: $4,500.00
Book number 86204