[Post Incunable] - AA. VV. - Vita Jesu Christi - 1522

POST INCUNABLE – THE GREAT LIFE OF CHRIST THAT INFLUENCED SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA
Important and rare Lyon edition of 1522 of the famous Vita Iesu Christi by Ludolphus de Saxonia, one of the most influential texts of medieval and Renaissance Europe. Composed in the 14th century by the German Carthusian monk, the work builds a monumental meditation on the life of Christ, harmonizing the narrative of the Gospels with patristic commentaries, theological reflections, prayers, and contemplations designed to engage the reader personally in the episodes of Jesus’ life. For centuries the Vita Christi was one of the great instruments of European spirituality, and its influence reached Saint Ignatius of Loyola directly: during the convalescence after Pamplona’s injury, Ignatius read a translation of the Vita Christi, and scholars recognize in Ludolph’s work one of the important sources of his conversion and of the contemplative method developed in the Spiritual Exercises. ([Revistas Comillas][1])
This fine impression of 1522 was produced in Lyon by Guillaume Huyon at the expense of Jacques Giunta and Florentine partners and is cataloged USTC 155559. ([Catalogo Biblioteche Liguri][2]) The edition is distinguished by its refined woodcut apparatus and by the red and black printing of some of its most spectacular parts, making it a significant testimony to the great French religious publishing of the early sixteenth century.

WHY TO BUY
LYON 1522! A spectacular illustrated edition from over FIVE CENTURIES AGO.
THE BOOK THAT INFLUENCED SAINT IGNATIUS! One of the fundamental spiritual sources in the formation of the founder of the Jesuits.
ONE OF THE GREAT CLASSICS OF CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY! Read and meditate upon it across Europe for generations.
GIUNTA + RENAISSANCE WOODCUTS! A prestigious Lyonese production commissioned by Jacques Giunta and Florentine partners.

MARKET VALUE
The Lyon edition of 1522 holds antique interest significantly higher than later editions of the Vita Christi for antiquity, illustrative apparatus, and editorial prestige. A specimen declared complete, in contemporaneous binding and with red and black printing, is currently offered on the antiquarian market at €9,000, a figure that nevertheless represents a particularly high retail asking price. The present specimen, however, is in modern binding. At present a reasonable retail value appears to be in the order of €1,000-1,500.

PHYSICAL / CONDITION
Elegant modern full leather binding with three raised bands on the spine. Magnificent Renaissance architectural title page, entirely framed by rich woodcut decoration, with vegetal elements, angelic figures, and grotesque ornamentation; at the center a large woodcut divided into three scenes of the life of Christ. Title and some parts of the text printed in red and black, with a striking decorative effect. Along the lower margin of the title page there are ancient handwritten annotations, signs of use, slight stains, and a large paper restoration in the central white margin, not affecting the text.
Pages 401; 4nn.
As with all old volumes, minor defects, restorations, stains, halos, browning or signs of use not expressly mentioned are possible.

FULL TITLES & AUTHORS
Ludolphus de Saxonia, known in Italian as Ludolfo di Sassonia or Ludolfo il Certosino (c. 1295/1300-1377/1378).
Vita Iesu Christi redemptoris nostri ex fecundissimis euangeliorum sententijs et approbatis ab ecclesia doctoribus excerpta per Ludolphum de Saxonia sacri chartusianorum ordinis obseruantissimum. Cum tabulis serie alphabetica concinnatis ac sancte Anne vita summisque diui Ioachim laudibus: reuulsoque antiquorum errorum cumulo: exactiori lima quam prius Lugduni impressa atque ornato figurarum cultu inuestita.
Lugduni: opera magistri Guilhelmi Huyon calcographi seduli, sumptibus Iacobi quondam Francisci de Giunta et sociorum Florentini, 1522, die XII mensis Aprilis. ([Catalogo Biblioteche Liguri][4])
In-4°. USTC 155559. ([Arlima][5])

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Ludolphus de Saxonia, known in Italian as Ludolfo di Sassonia or Ludolfo il Certosino, was probably born around the late 13th century and died in 1377 or 1378. He was one of the greatest spiritual writers of the late Middle Ages, and his name is inseparably linked to the Vita Christi, a work to which he devoted many years and which became one of the most widely read texts of Christian spirituality in Europe. A German Carthusian monk, Ludolfo developed a method of meditation in which reading the Gospel is not a mere intellectual exercise: the faithful are invited to interiorly contemplate the episodes of Christ’s life, as if personally witnessing them, combining imagination, prayer, affection, and reflection. This contemplative mode had long-lasting fortune and represents one of the reasons the work exerted a particular influence on later spirituality. The Vita Christi is not a simple biography of Jesus but a vast synthesis built on the Gospels, the Church Fathers, and medieval exegetical tradition. Its influence reached one of the most important moments in European religious history in the 16th century, when Ignatius of Loyola, during the convalescence after Pamplona’s injury, read the Vita Christi in Castilian. Studies on the relationship between Ludolfo and Ignazio have highlighted clear affinities in the use of contemplation, immersion in the Gospel scenes, and various aspects of the spiritual method that would converge in the Spiritual Exercises. ([Revistas Comillas][1])

RARITY
This 1522 edition belongs to the earliest phase of the Vita Christi’s printing fortune. It is an important sixteenth-century Lyonese incunable cataloged USTC 155559, printed by Guillaume Huyon for Jacques Giunta and Florentine partners. ([Catalogo Biblioteche Liguri][2]) Notably, the publication design declares the work “ornato figurarum cultu investita,” emphasizing the role of the pictorial apparatus, while complete copies cataloged show title-page and opening of the text printed in red and black, numerous illustrations, and the Giunta mark. ([Iberlibro (ES)][3]) Complete and well-preserved copies, especially when still in sixteenth-century bindings, are considerably harder to encounter than the numerous later editions of the text. In the present specimen, the absence of a complete collation, however, does not allow automatically attributing the whole illustrative apparatus: an analytical check could significantly affect both rarity and commercial value.

HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE
Few medieval devotional works enjoyed a fortune comparable to that of Vita Christi. Ludolfo transformed the gospel narratives into a continuous path of meditation in which narrative, exegesis, theology, and prayer integrate, offering the reader a true contemplative experience of Christ’s life. The work circulated extensively in manuscript and later through numerous printed editions, becoming one of the great cultural bridges between medieval spirituality and the religious sensibilities of the modern era. Its historical importance is particularly evident from Ignatius of Loyola’s reading during his own conversion: Vita Christi was one of the very few religious books at his disposal during his convalescence, and modern research has dedicated specific studies to its influence on the formation of the Spiritual Exercises. ([Revistas Comillas][1]) The Lyon edition of 1522 also holds special interest in the history of the book because it associates one of Europe’s fundamental devotional texts with the great era of woodcut illustration and with the international Giunta network, a Florentine family capable of extending its publishing activity to Europe’s major printing centers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Universal Short Title Catalogue, USTC 155559, Ludolphus de Saxonia, Vita Iesu Christi, Lyon, Guillaume Huyon, Jacques Giunta et socii, 1522. ([Arlima][5])
ARLIMA – Archives de littérature du Moyen Âge, Ludolf von Sachsen, Vita Christi, edizione di Lyon 1522, EA957, USTC 155559. ([Arlima][5])
Catalogo del Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale / Catalogo Biblioteche Liguri, Vita Iesu Christi, Lugduni, Guillaume Huyon, sumptibus Jacques Giunta et sociorum, 1522. ([Catalogo Biblioteche Liguri][4])
Baudrier, Henri-Louis – Julien Baudrier, Bibliographie lyonnaise. Recherches sur les imprimeurs, libraires, relieurs et fondeurs de lettres de Lyon au XVIe siècle.
Adams, H. M., Catalogue of Books Printed on the Continent of Europe, 1501-1600 in Cambridge Libraries, L-1674.
Paul J. Shore, The Vita Christi of Ludolph of Saxony and its Influence on the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits, 30/1, 1998. ([WorldCat][6])
Estudios Eclesiásticos, The Vita Christi of Ludolpho of Saxony and Ignatius of Loyola: About a Great Book. ([Revistas Comillas][1])