Antoninus Florentinus- Gorgeous Incunable - CONFESSIONALE - 1470-1471

(INCUNABULA; THEOLOGY; FINE BINDINGS) ANTONINUS OF FLORENCE (born Antonio PIEROZZI) (1389-1459)
Confessionale vulgare … intitolato specchio di conscientia (no place, printer and date ,but Mediolani, Christophorus Valdarfer, 1470-71)
§ 4to (180x120); [102] leaves, signature a-m8, n6. Roman fonts 107R. 28 lines per page, white space for initials, titles of the chapters rubricated in red. Magnificent early XVIth century brown morocco binding., blindstamped double frame and central lozenge on covers, upper margin a little short; beautiful copy on crisp paper, entirely rubricated in red, a nice addition for every high-class collector's library, absolutely complete, here offered at a very low reserve price.

One of the first incunable editions of Saint Antoninus of Florence Confessionale, in vernacular, and one of the first incunabula ever printed in Milan. Although the work lacks typographical data, it corresponds perfectly with the edition attributed by GW to the very early years (1470-1471) of the Milanese activity of Christoph Valdarfer, one of the most famous prototypographers. Originally from Regensburg, he was active in Italy for a long time, first in Venice and then in Milan. Antonino Pierozzi was a Dominican moralist, founder of the Convent of San Marco in Florence, Auditor General of the Sacra Rota, a protagonist of the Council of Florence and a theologian of the first order. He was appointed Archbishop of Florence in 1466. Endowed with an uncommon sensitivity to social problems, he was eager to give a Christian meaning to the new humanistic ferments and was one of the first to attempt a synthesis between law and theology. Very rare Milanese incunable only fourteen copies known.
ITEM'S VALUE : the only comparable copy now on the market (a 1474 edition, but in modern binding) is listed at 16.000 €. Plaese, take a look
 GW 2171; BMC VI, 794; IGI 658; Pell. 857; M.P. PAOLI S. Antonino “vere pastor ac bonus pastor”. Storia e mito di un modello In: Verso Savonarola. Misticismo, profezia, empiti riformistici fra Medioevo ed Età moderna , Firenze, 1999, pp. 83-139.