CICERON.

[Opera]. De philosophia, prima pars... Volumen secundum. Paris, Robert Estienne, 1543. 2 volumes in-8, fawn calf, plate with large azure plant irons arranged around a large central cartouche in reserve, spine decorated with fillets and a repeated fleuron, gilt and chased edges (Binding of the period). Only two volumes presented, out of the 9 contained in the Works of Cicero, containing the complete text of De Philosophia. At the end of the first volume the scholias of Paul Manutius form a separate part. A very fine edition, the first in which Robert Estienne makes use of italic characters copied by him, according to his own admission, from Aldine impressions. It also contains the scholies of the Manutians' editions in their quasi-totality. A fine copy. VERY NICE BINDING GILDED WITH A PLATE OF INTERLACING DECORATION OF LARGE AZURE PLANT IRONS. This particular decoration, reminiscent of Venetian and Roman bindings with interlacing decoration, is characterized and differentiated by the almost exclusive use of foliate irons, thus drawing not a classical interlacing of fillets punctuated with fleurons, but a clever and rich composition with large contoured fleurons. We have not found any other example or equivalent of this type of plate from French bookbinding workshops. A very similar example, but of Italian execution, on the Cicero printed in Venice in 1569, decorated with an azure plate with foliage and scrolls, is reproduced by Hobson and Culot in La reliure en Italie et en France du XVIe siècle, 1991, n°20. Another volume of the same series, identically bound and also belonging to Edward Huth, was part of the Furstenberg-Beaumesnil Library (2013, no. 115). From the Miribel library (1993, n°24). Restorations to the spines, headpieces redone. Lack of paper at the corner of 3 leaves.