Bitonto - [Incunable] Sermones Domenicales - 1492

WHERE THE VOICE OF THE CHURCH IS BORN: SERMONS BETWEEN MYSTICISM AND THE ART OF PREACHING
Sermones Dominicales for the whole year by Antonius de Bitonto represents a typical example of homiletic literature destined for ecclesiastical preaching in the late Middle Ages. Printed in Venice in 1492 by Bonetus Locatellus for the bookseller-publisher Nicolaus de Frankfordia, this first edition collects a systematic series of sermons organized according to the liturgical calendar of the Sundays of the year. The volume was a practical tool for preachers and confessors, offering models of religious discourse based on the Sunday Gospels. The copy is distinguished by the widespread manuscript rubrication and by an initial index strongly annotated by a contemporary hand, direct testimony of the book’s concrete use in pastoral context and of its function as a tool for study and preparation of preaching.
MARKET VALUE
Venezian incunabula of homiletic literature from the late 15th century, especially those printed by Bonetus Locatellus for Nicolaus de Frankfordia, are relatively present on the antique market but remain valued for their importance in the history of medieval preaching. Copies rubricated and well preserved tend to maintain solid valuations. An incunabulum of this kind, complete and in very good condition, typically falls between about €5,000 and €10,000. The presence of contemporary manuscript annotations, as in the strongly annotated index, can increase the scholarly interest of the specimen, though small marginal defects may moderate the valuation.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Later binding in full parchment with signs of wear. Text printed in Gothic type with initials and paragraph marks rubricated in red by an ancient hand throughout the volume, initials rubricated in red and blue—some by a later hand. Initial index with numerous contemporary manuscript annotations. The first preliminary leaves show small tears along the upper right margin, away from the central fold. In old books with a multi-centuries-long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); (8); 280; (2).
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Sermones dominicales per totum annum.
Venice, Bonetus Locatell for Nicolai de Franchfordia, 1492.
Antonius de Bitonto.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Sermon literature represented one of the most widespread genres of medieval theological production. The Sermones dominicales were collections organized according to the liturgical year and served as a guide to preachers in preparing Sunday homilies. These collections offered a ready-made structure for discourse: biblical introduction, theological development, and moral application. The preacher could use the text directly or adapt it to the needs of the local community.
In the late 15th century these works were among the first to be printed, as there was a constant demand from the clergy. Universities, monasteries and parishes formed a broad market for this type of pastoral manual.
The Venetian edition of 1492 fits into the context of the great book production of the city, which at the end of the 15th century was the most important printing center in Europe. Sermon books printed in Venice circulated widely in the Mediterranean and in the Holy Roman Empire.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Antonius de Bitonto was a preacher and theologian active in the late Middle Ages, probably linked to ecclesiastical circles of southern Italy. Like many authors of homiletic collections of the period, his work was mainly intended for practical use in preaching. His works reflect the scholastic model of medieval preaching, in which the explanation of gospel texts was accompanied by moral and pastoral applications aimed at the daily life of the faithful.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The 1492 edition was printed in Venice by Bonetus Locatellus for Nicolaus de Frankfordia, one of the most important editorial collaborations of the late-15th-century Venetian printing house. Nicolaus de Frankfordia was an influential publisher-bookseller who commissioned numerous theological and legal texts for the European market. Bonetus Locatellus was one of the leading typesetters active in Venice in the final decades of the 15th century and produced many incunabula editions for Frankfordia. Their activity contributed decisively to the spread of theological and pastoral manuals in European ecclesiastical libraries.
Sermon collections continued to be frequently reprinted even in the 16th century, but the incunabula editions hold special historical interest as witnesses to the transition between manuscript culture and print.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke (GW), Antonius de Bitonto, Sermones dominicales per totum annum, Venezia, Bonetus Locatellus, 1492.
ISTC (Incunabula Short Title Catalogue), Antonius de Bitonto, Sermones dominicales, Venice, 1492.
Hain, Ludwig. Repertorium bibliographicum, Antonius de Bitonto entries.
BMC (British Museum Catalogue of Books Printed in the XVth Century), Venice presses, Bonetus Locatellus.
Proctor, Robert. Index to the Early Printed Books in the British Museum, Venetian printers.
Goff, Frederick R. Incunabula in American Libraries, Antonius de Bitonto listings.
ICCU – OPAC SBN, registrations of the incunabula editions of Sermones dominicales conserved in Italian libraries.