The convolute with Parisian editions of the late 15th and early 16th centuries from the collection оf Count Dmitry Mavros in the Library of the Russian academy of sciences: description and attribution issues

Abstract

The Research Department of Rare Books of the Russian Academy of Sciences Library holds the convolute from the library of Count Dmitry Mavros (1820-1896), containing three undated Parisian editions of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. All these editions were included as incunabula in the “Catalogue of the fteenth century printed books” of the Library of the Academy of Sciences, compiled by Elizaveta Bobrova (Moscow; Leningrad, 1963). However, the Catalogue descriptions of these editions need to be corrected. In Bobrova’s Catalogue the convolute parts are claimed to be Denis Roce’s editions “of the last years of the 15th century”, but this statement is incorrect. In the present article, it has been established that only one of the editions in the convolute is an incunabulum, the other two are early printed editions of the beginning of 16th century. The incunabulum - the second part of the convolute (Research Department of Rare Books 584 inc) - is an edition of “Dialogus de septem sacramentis” (N 367 according to Bobrova’s Catalogue). The article indicates that the printer’s device of Denis Roce was incorrectly related to this incunabulum in the Catalogue; so the incunabulum had to be re-attributed, and the printer was identi ed as Etienne Jehannot. As far as the rst part of the convolute (Research Department of Rare Books 583 inc) - the anonymous “Speculum animae peccatricis” (N 730) - is concerned, the dating was clari ed (c. 1503), probable printers were named. In relation to the third part of the convolute (Research Department of Rare Books 815 inc) - an edition of “Regula canonicorum regularium” (N 413) - the year of publication was also speci ed (c. 1503), and the fact that the copy was incomplete was ascertained