Ratdolt - [Post Incunable] Breviarium ... Constantiensis - 1516

A TWO-COLOR GERMAN BREVIARY OF THE EARLY SIXTEENTH CENTURY: THE RITUAL BETWEEN GOTHIC AND RENAISSANCE
Rare third edition of the Breviarium iuxta ritum et ordinem almae ecclesiae Constantiensis, printed in Augsburg in 1516 by Erhard Ratdolt, probably preceded by his folio edition of 1499 and by an earlier octavo of 1509. The breviary, a liturgical text destined for private recitation of the Divine Office, reflects the extraordinary variety of rites that existed before post-Tridentine standardization.
Before the Council of Trent, every diocese — and sometimes minor jurisdictions — possessed its own liturgical variant. This diversity constituted a true “treasure” for early printers: by 1500, about one fifth of Europe’s 700 dioceses had published at least one version of its own rite. The 1516 edition testifies to this era of intense regional liturgical production, in which Ratdolt was one of the undisputed masters of two-color printing.
MARKET VALUE
Ratdolt breviaries are rare, especially in small format and in contemporary bindings on wooden boards. Survival is often low: heavy daily use led to high rates of loss and mutilation. For the Constance 1499 breviary, for example, ISTC notes about 79% of copies defective. For the 1516 edition there are only two auction listings (2005 and 2020), both relating to the summer portion and incomplete. WorldCat does not list North American copies of the 1516 edition. Complete and well-preserved copies may fetch between 2,000 and 6,000 euros; incomplete copies but in original binding retain strong collector interest, especially for the typographic and woodcut quality.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Text in red and black. Numerous red woodcut initials: over a dozen 8-line initials, many 4-line initials, and innumerable 2-line initials. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Text in red and black; decorative red initials; a woodcut/diagram in the text. Beautiful contemporary pigskin binding impressed in blind on wooden boards; old paper label on the back
Missing A1, A2, G1, A2, 2A1, 2A2, 2S2, 2S7, AA2, AA3 and the last gathering with the printer’s mark. Ink stamp at the foot of the first leaf.
Some gatherings in the early quires show external lower corner tears, repaired (in some cases with text loss, reproduced in facsimile). A few final gatherings strengthened at the margins without loss of text. Traces of dust and sporadic staining. A handsome genuine copy, with flaws. 512 leaves.
Contemporary pigskin binding impressed in blind on wooden boards; old paper label on the back.
In ancient books, with a centuries-long history, there may be some imperfections not always noted in the description.
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Breviarium iuxta ritum et ordinem almae ecclesiae Constantiensis studiose ac pervigili cura elaboratum.
Augsburg, Erhard Ratdolt, 1516.
Liturgical work according to the rite of the Diocese of Constanz.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The printing of breviaries represented one of the most technically complex challenges for early sixteenth-century printers, due to the structural variety of liturgical elements and the necessity of two-color printing. Ratdolt was the undisputed master of this technique. Famous for perfecting polychrome printing, for introducing and developing the frontispiece and decorative borders, he is often celebrated with words such as Steinberg’s: “The ornamentation of books through initials, borders and woodcuts reached an aesthetic height rarely surpassed in Erhard Ratdolt’s prints.”
John Boardley observes that, were one to rank printers by typographic innovations, Ratdolt would likely be at the top.
As Mary Kay Duggan emphasizes, users of liturgical books are not merely readers, but also singers and interpreters: the breviary is a performative object as well as a text. The presence of portions in small script intended for singing testifies to this intrinsic musical dimension.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE PRINTER
Erhard Ratdolt (1402–1528), printer from Augsburg, active in Venice from 1476 to 1486 and then again in Augsburg, was one of the most innovative printers of his time. Pioneer of polychrome printing, decorative borders, and the typographic frontispiece, he achieved an aesthetic and technical level that places him among the great masters of Renaissance typography.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Third edition, preceded by the 1499 folio and a 1509 octavo. Breviaries were designed for intensive daily use, hence a high rate of loss. Surviving copies are frequently incomplete, especially in small format. The 1516 edition is extremely rare on the market; very few auction records are documented and WorldCat lists no copies in North America.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ISTC, edition 1499 (Konstanz Breviary).
VD16, s.v. Ratdolt.
Steinberg, Five Hundred Years of Printing.
Boardley, studies on Renaissance typography.
Mary Kay Duggan, studies on liturgical books and the performative dimension.