G. Rouillé - Giustiniano - Codex Iustiniani - 1571

Codex Iustiniani
(Corpus Iuris Civilis – Codex repetitae praelectionis)
Lyon, At Guillaume Rouillé (Guillaume Rouillé), 1571.

12.3 × 8.5 cm (small octavo or pocket format).
Pp. (16), 784 pp.
Only the first two books of the Codex Iustiniani (Books I-II of the Codex repetitae praelectionis), (as seen in the last photo) with imperial constitutions, notes, summaries, and critical apparatus in Latin (with references to Greek texts). Includes typographic decorations, initial woodcuts, and ornaments characteristic of the Lyonese editions of the sixteenth century. The copy presents an old parchment binding, with the title handwritten on the spine.

Fundamental work of Roman law, the Codex Iustiniani (promulgated by Justinian between 529-534 A.D.) represents the greatest systematic compilation of Roman imperial laws, which formed the basis of continental Western civil law for centuries. This sixteenth-century edition, prepared within the humanist prints of Rouillé, makes the text accessible with erudite apparatus, facilitating study in the Renaissance and modern era. It is one of the pillars of the Corpus Iuris Civilis, a cornerstone of Western law along with the Institutes, Digest, and Novellae.

Rare edition by the famous Lyonese printer Guillaume Rouillé, specialized in classical and legal texts of a compact format for scholars and professionals. The sixteenth-century editions of the Codex in a small format are seldom available on the market, especially partial (only Books I-II) and in this state of preservation. It is a valuable witness to the spread of Roman law in 16th-century Europe, sought after by collectors of old law books, incunabula and sixteenthin editions, and by institutions specializing in the history of law.

Typical signs of use of a ‘500 volume, with old pages showing normal browning, but overall good for the period, with all indicated pages present.

Excellent piece for auctions of Renaissance legal and rare book collecting.