Juan de Torquemada - Psalterio - 1482

SPLENDID COPY ENTIRELY RUBRICATED AND CRIBBED BY A CONTEMPORARY HAND IN RED AND GOLD
ANCIENT FOLIO
Entirely rubricated and cribed in red by a contemporary hand; large initial letter enriched with gold insertions.
Rare incunabulum edition of Juan de Torquemada’s Expositio Super Toto Psalterio, printed in Strasbourg in 1482 by the so-called Printer of the 1481 Legenda Aurea.
Juan de Torquemada (Johannes de Turrecremata, 1388–1468) was the uncle of the more famous Tomás de Torquemada (1420–1498), the infamous General Inquisitor of Spain.
The work represents one of the most important late medieval commentaries on the Book of Psalms, a fundamental text of Christian spirituality and Western liturgy. The copy is distinguished by the splendid manually applied rubrication added after printing, enriched with magnificent filigreed initials and ornamental flourishes that attest to the persistent collaboration between typographic art and manuscript tradition in the years immediately following the invention of printing. The presence of an ancient possession note and the substantially intact preservation of the text confer further historical interest to a volume that fully embodies the transition between the manuscript world and the printed book.
MARKET VALUE
Incunable editions by Juan de Torquemada are steadily sought after by international collectors of medieval theology and the history of printing. Copies rubricated and hand-decorated, especially if textually complete and preserved in antique bindings, can generally be placed in a range between €8,000 and €15,000, with higher values for particularly fresh copies or with illustrious provenance. The presence of original rubrications and ornate initials constitutes one of the most valued elements by scholars and collectors of incunabula.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION - COLLECTOR'S COPY
In-folio. 125 leaves. Complete text. Beautiful contemporary manuscript rubrication throughout the volume with numerous decorative initials and calligraphic flourishes in red and gold. Ancient ownership note on the first leaf. Rebound in recovered parchment from an antique antiphonal book. Ancient ink stains. Some termite galleries without compromising the text. Copy very well preserved. In old books, with a centuries-long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description.
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Expositio Super Toto Psalterio.
Juan de Torquemada.
Strasbourg, Printer of the 1481 Legenda Aurea, 1482.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
This work belongs to the great medieval exegetical tradition devoted to the Book of Psalms, considered for centuries the heart of Christian prayer. The psalms were in fact the biblical text most used in daily liturgy, in monastic meditation, and in theological formation. Torquemada’s commentary aims to guide the reader through the literal, moral, and spiritual meanings of the sacred text, offering a synthesis of theological wisdom developed in the Middle Ages.
The 1482 edition also holds particular importance as a testimony to Strasbourg’s early printing, one of Europe’s main incunabular centers. The combination of Gothic type, manuscript rubrication, and pen decoration perfectly reflects the transitional phase in which the printed book still sought to imitate the prestigious appearance of illuminated codices.
The manuscript decorative apparatus preserves significance not only aesthetically but also historically, as it documents the intervention of professional rubricators commissioned to complete the volumes produced in the printing workshops. Each rubricated copy thus bears individual characteristics that make it a unique object.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Juan de Torquemada (Johannes de Turrecremata, 1388–1468), author of Expositio Super Toto Psalterio, was the uncle of the more famous Tomás de Torquemada (1420–1498), the infamous inquisitor general of Spain.
He was one of the greatest Dominican theologians of the 15th century. A cardinal, canonist, and defender of papal authority, he participated in the major ecclesiastical debates of his time. His theological and exegetical works were widely disseminated throughout late medieval Europe and continued to be printed throughout the incunabular period. He is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Catholic culture before the Reformation.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The edition was printed in Strasbourg in 1482 by the printer conventionally identified by scholars as the Printer of the 1481 Legenda Aurea, one of the figures active in the lively Alsatian publishing scene of the 15th century. Torquemada’s works underwent numerous reissues due to their diffusion in academic, conventual, and clerical circles. Fully rubricated copies, like the one described here, are particularly desirable today as they preserve the original appearance that 15th-century readers saw when first issued on the market.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
GW M48217.
ISTC it00563000.
HC (Hain-Copinger) 15699.
BMC I, Strasbourg Presses, s.v. Printer of the 1481 Legenda Aurea.
Goff T-563.
Bodleian Library, Incunable Catalogue, Torquemada, Expositio Super Toto Psalterio.
British Library, Incunabula Short Title Catalogue (ISTC), it00563000.
Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke, M48217.
WorldCat, editions and copies catalogued of the incunable.
ICCU / MEI – Material Evidence in Incunabula, copies and provenances recorded.
F. R. Goff, Incunabula in American Libraries, T-563.
Scholderer, Fifty Essays in Fifteenth and Sixteenth Century Bibliography.