88 - [RELIGION & PIETY] - SAINT AUGUSTINE

[RELIGION & PIETY] - SAINT AUGUSTINE A set of two rare 17th-century works on devotion and mystical piety in the Flemish language: 1. AUGUSTINUS Aurelius (Saint Augustine) / BERNARDUS (Saint Bernard of Clairvaux) / ANSELMUS (Saint Anselm of Canterbury) Vierige Meditatien ofte aendachten / And the Solitary Conversations of the Soul with God / And also the Little Handbook on the Contemplation of Christ / Furthermore, Saint Bernard’s Devout Reflections / The Ray of Divine Love, which some attribute to Saint Anselm First published in Antwerp with a privilege, and now reprinted by P.I. Paedts [Pieter Jacobsz. Paets], 1645. In-24°. Full contemporary vellum. A highly sought-after collected edition comprising five treatises on mystical piety attributed to the Church Fathers. The illustrations include full-page woodcuts and vignettes (mostly by Christoffel van Sichem II). References: STCV, 12918876; Bibliotheca Catholica Neerlandica, no. 9842. 2. LOODT Joannes Chrysostomus Den ghebaenden wegh der salicheyt... In Mechelen [Malines], Printed by Robert Jaye, 1654. In-12°. Full period vellum binding First edition and sole printing of this Counter-Reformation treatise on asceticism intended for the faithful of the Archdiocese of Mechelen. Printed by the licensed printer Robert Jaye, the volume is illustrated with a frontispiece by the painter Erasmus Quellinus II (a pupil of Rubens), engraved by Richard Collin of Antwerp. References: Bibliotheca Catholica Neerlandica, no. 10942; CaGeWeB, GBSG-1654. A precious combination of two examples of spiritual literature and Baroque book art from the Southern Netherlands, magnificently illustrating the woodcut and copperplate engraving production of the period.