Guillaume Rouillé - Codex Justinianus - Corpus Iuris Civilis - 1550

Codex Justinianus – Tomo IV of the Corpus Iuris Civilis

From an important private collection, a precious sixteenth-century copy of the Codex Justinianus (containing the first 9 books) is offered, printed in Lyon between 1550 and 1581 by the renowned type foundry of Guillaume Rouillé (Guglielmo Rovillo), among the most illustrious and important of the Renaissance.

The imperial text is accompanied by Accursius’s monumental Glossa Ordinaria and enriched by the commentaries of the greatest medieval and Renaissance jurists, including Azo, Baldo degli Ubaldi, Paolo di Castro, Giasone del Maino, and Antonio Gómez. Reading and consultation are enhanced by a refined typographic layout.

Rare Illustrations and Diagrams: Presence of two notes and extremely rare woodcut diagrams in tree-shape: the "Arbor super interesse" (p. 938) for the classification of patrimonial damage and lost profits, and the "Arbor de interdictis" (p. 994) for prohibitions in Roman law.

Ornamental Accents and Historiated Initials: Elegant woodcut initials (including a majestic letter H depicting Justinian on his throne) and decorative friezes with satyrs and floral motifs.

Typography: Main text in Roman type with italicized headings and an extended pagination system "at the bottom of the page", typical of Lyonese publishing of the period.

Condition and Notable Features
Binding: In solid period parchment from the 1500s.
Cut edges: The page edges are speckled red for aesthetic and protective reasons, original to the period.

Internal Condition: Pages 131 to 1180 in exceptional and perfect state. The initial (1-130) and final (1181-1195) pages show historic signs of a flood from which a restoration was performed with old interventions dating to the 1600s/1700s (see last photograph). Note the absence of the frontispiece, lost during the flood.

Historic Traces of Additional Value: Various margins display precious marginal notes and manuscript annotations in metal-gall ink dating to the 1600s, direct evidence of use by jurists of the era.

Weight: about 7 kg.