Unknown - Corpus Iuris Canonici - 1584

Corpus Iuris Canonici – Liber Sextus Decretalium, Constitutiones Clementinae & Extravagantes – Venice, 1584

An impressive 16th-century Venetian edition of important medieval canon law texts, beautifullly printed in red and black and preserved in an attractive early vellum binding.

Published in Venice in 1584, during the pontificate of Gregory XIII, this substantial volume contains three major collections of ecclesiastical legislation:

- Liber Sextus Decretalium of Pope Boniface VIII.
- Constitutiones Clementinae of Pope Clement V.
- Extravagantes of Pope John XXII and other pontiffs.

These texts formed an essential part of the Corpus Iuris Canonici, the fundamental collection of canon law governing the Roman Catholic Church for centuries.

Illustrations and typography

Particularly attractive are the finely executed Renaissance woodcuts, including:

- Portraits of Pope Gregory XIII on the title pages.
- Elaborate woodcut diagrams illustrating degrees of consanguinity and affinity.
- A large historical woodcut depicting ecclesiastical authority and the administration of law.
- Decorative woodcut initials.
- Impressive title pages printed in red and black.

The detailed genealogical diagrams are especially interesting examples of 16th-century legal and scientific illustration.

Binding and condition

Preserved in an attractive early vellum binding with raised bands and a manuscript spine title.

The pages shown are remarkably clean and well preserved, with strong printing and attractive red-and-black typography. The binding displays age-related wear and some damage to the head and foot of the spine.

An appealing example of Renaissance Venetian printing, of particular interest to collectors of early printed books, ecclesiastical history, legal history and Renaissance woodcuts.

Venice, 1584. Latin.
350pp , - 871 pp ,- 367 pp. + index.