Alberto Magno - [Post Incunable] Mariale - 1507

THE MINIATURE THAT CHALLENGES PRINTING: A LION-AL MARIALE AMONG GOLD OF TRADITION AND BIRTH OF THE MODERN BOOK
This rare Lionese edition of 1507 of the Mariale attributed to Albertus Magnus stands out not only as testimony to the persistence of manuscript culture but also as a visually extraordinary object of refined quality. Overlaying the typographic structure is, in fact, a decorative system of great quality: rubricated initials, a significant color-miniated initial with elegant floral motifs, and a woodcut emblem marking the workshop’s identity. In this exemplar, textual and figurative dimensions deeply intertwine, transforming the book into a device of visual meditation as well as theological reflection. The extensive handwritten annotations, together with the decorative interventions, create a unique instance in which word and image participate in the construction of meaning, revealing a living continuity between medieval illuminated tradition and Renaissance typography.
MARKET VALUE
The post-incunabula Lionese editions of devotional texts attributed to Albertus Magnus are relatively rare on the market. Standard copies generally range between 2,000 and 4,000 euros. However, copies that preserve a high-quality decorative apparatus – rubricated initials, contemporary illuminated interventions, and well-impressed typographic marks – combined with a rich handwritten accompaniment, can reach a range between 5,000 and 9,000 euros, with further increases in the presence of particularly careful miniatures or strong aesthetic impact, elements highly sought after in the antique book collecting world.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Later binding in parchment, made from a sheet of an ancient antiphonal, miniated and rubricated. Text in Gothic type on two columns. Rich decorative apparatus: rubricated initials in red with guide marks and a large color-miniated initial with refined marginal floral decoration. Presence of a woodcut printer’s mark with the initials “IC” of notable engraving quality. The ensemble of decorative components contributes to a strong visual valorizaton of the volume, which presents itself as a book not only to read but to contemplate. Important manuscript apparatus: Latin annotations throughout the text and about 10 additional pages entirely handwritten, including a final “Finis Marialis Alberti.” Some browning and stains. In old books with a multi-century history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. P.p.: (2); 12 nn.; 156; (2).
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Mariale Alberti Magni in evangelium super Missus est Gabriel angelus.
Lugduni, Johannes Clein, 1507.
Albertus Magnus (attributed).
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Mariale attributed to St. Albertus Magnus belongs to the great tradition of medieval Marian devotion, built around the exegesis of the Gospel passage of the Annunciation. In this Lionese edition, however, the value of the work resides not only in its theological content but also in its visual dimension: the rubricated initials and the floral miniature are not mere ornaments but instruments of orientation and meditation, capable of guiding the text and directing the reader’s eye and mind. The illuminated decoration, still deeply linked to manuscript models, testifies that in the early decades of the 16th century the printed book continued to absorb and reinterpret the figurative language of the medieval world. Added to this is the imposing manuscript apparatus, which establishes a continuous dialogue with the text and its visual components, transforming the volume into a space of interaction between word, image, and interpretation. The result is a complex object in which theology expresses itself as much through discourse as through visual form.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
St. Albertus Magnus (c. 1200–1280), Dominican, was one of the greatest thinkers of the Middle Ages. Teacher of Thomas Aquinas, he contributed decisively to the spread of Aristotelian thought in the West. His encyclopedic oeuvre spans theology, philosophy, and natural sciences. The works attributed to him, such as the Mariale, enjoyed wide fortune in the following centuries, becoming fundamental tools for theological formation and devotion, even when authorship was uncertain.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Printed in Lyon in 1507 by Johannes Clein, this edition sits in a phase of full transition between manuscript book and modern book. Lyon, a primary printing center, was particularly active in producing religious texts for an educated audience. Editions of the Mariale were already widely circulated in manuscript and incunabula forms, but it is precisely in these early sixteenth-century prints that a significant integration between typographic and decorative elements is observed. The presence of miniature illustrations and manual rubrications shows how the printed book continued to be perceived as an object to be completed and visually enhanced. The exemplar, with its decorative and manuscript apparatus, suggests circulation in environments where the book was not only read but also enriched and personalized.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
GW (Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke), entries relating to Albertus Magnus, Mariale, for the incunabula tradition (see GW 1541–1548, related textual groups).
Hain-Copinger, Repertorium bibliographicum, II, pp. 11–15 (Albertus Magnus, Mariale and related works).
USTC (Universal Short Title Catalogue), Lionese editions 1500–1520 under Albertus Magnus, Mariale.
ICCU / OPAC SBN, catalogs of Lionese editions of Marian texts attributed to Albertus Magnus.
Baudrier, Henri, Bibliographie lyonnaise, Lyon, 1895–1921, vols. IX–X (lesser Lyonese printers, Johannes Clein).
Gültlingen, Sybille von, Bibliographie des livres imprimés à Lyon au seizième siècle, Baden-Baden, early Cinquecento volumes.
Alexander, J.J.G., Medieval Illuminators and Their Methods of Work, New Haven, 1992 (on late medieval manuscript practices).
Wieck, Roger S., Painted Prayers: The Book of Hours in Medieval and Renaissance Art, New York, 1997 (on the role of illuminated decoration in devotion).
De Hamel, Christopher, A History of Illuminated Manuscripts, London, 1994 (continuity between manuscript and illustrated print).
Auction catalogues of Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Librairie Sourget, for comparable exemplars with contemporary illuminated decoration and rubrication.