RARE ALEXANDER DA IMOLA'S COMMENTARY IN JUSTINIAN'S DIGEST
THE BURKHARD STADTMANN COPY THEN PASSED TO GEORG RITTERHAUSEN

Tartagni, Alessandro. Aureu[m] opus excellentissimi. u.i. monarche Alexandri de Imola: super .j. [et] .ij. ff. vete. Summa cu[m] cura: o[mn]iq[ue] industria ex fidelissimis exe[m]plaribus excerptu[m] [et] in pristinu[m] nitore[m] eme[n]datu[m]. Cu[m] apostillis doctissimor[um] Doc. Fran. de Curte [et] Bernar. de Landriano: [et] cu[m] in numeris addi. q[uae] in alijs codicibus impressis no[n] reperiebant. Additis e[s]t addi. Do. Ant. Fra[n]cisci de Doc. necnon summarijs per spect. i.u. interpretem D[omi]n[u]m Nicolaum de Lacu compositis. Postremo aute[m] cu[m] vtilissimo Repertorio alphabetico singulares conclusiones dictor[um] per Alex. co[n]tine[n]te ac cu[m] copiosissimis additionib[us] Henrici Ferrandat Niuernen[sis] in hac vltima impressione in lucem editis.. (at colophon:) Lugduni : Impressa per Iacobum Mareschal. Impensis nobilium mercatorum Lugdunensium., Anno salutis dominice. M. ccccc. xx. de mense Decembris. (Lyon: Mareschal, 1520).
BOUND WITH:
Tartagni, Alessandro. Cu[m] apostillis doctissimoru[m] doctorum domini Francisci de Curte [et] Bernardini de Landriano. Et cu[m] alijs innumeris additionibus per d[omi]n[u]m Antoniu[m] Franciscum de Doctoribus Patauinum noviter editus. Postremo aut[em] cum singulari repertorio alphabetico conclusiones dictorum per Alex contine[n]te ac cum copiosissimis additionibus Hen. Ferrandat Niuern[ensis]. in hac vlti[m]a impressione in lucem editi. (at colophon:). Lugduni: Impensis nobilium mercatorum Lugdunensium, Anno a Virginis Partu .M. cccccxx. die xiii de mense Decembris (Lyon: Sachon, 1520).

Folio, original ancient wooden boards (monastic binding), renewed calf spine with five raised bands and blind-tooled decorations, metal clasps, handwritten title at edge, ff. 168, [2]; ff. I-CXLIII, 145-202 (misnumbered), 1-106, (2, the last is blank).
Title pages printed in red and black, with woodcut border; fine woodcut initials.

Very rare Alexander Da Imola's commentary on both Justinian's Digestus Vetus and Digestum Novus with the additions of Francesco Corte, Bernardino da Landriano, Antonfrancesco Dottori and Henri Ferrandat.

Alessandro Tartagni also called Alessandro da Imola (1424-1477) was an Italian jurist and canonist. He taught at Pavia, Bologna, Ferrara and Padua. His fame is due to the commentaries on Justinian's Digest and Code —but also in Decretals, showing a mastery of both Civil and Canon Law.

Provenance: 1. Contemporary signature Sebastianus Hallerius.
2. The copy belonged to the lawyer and counselor of Brandenburg JOHANN BURKHARD STADTMANN(1595-1664), see portrait at photo 9, as annotated in a 17th century inscription of his son-in-law, the more important German lawyer GEORG RITTERHAUSEN that received the book as a gift in 1636: Habeo ex donatione D(omi)ni Joannis Burghardi Stadtmanni J(ure) C(onsulti) et Consiliarij Brandenb(urgensis) Soceri mei. Georgius Ritterbusius D. d(ie) 17 Augusti A(nn)° rep. sal. 1636.(«I receive as a gift by Johann Burckhard Stadtmann (1570-1638), lawer and counselor of Brandenburg. (signed) Georg Rittershusius, the day 17 August of the year 1636».
Georg Rittershausen (1595-1664) was a German lawyer that published several juridical treatises: the most important are Promulsis Errorum Irnerianorum, 1623 (on the errors of the great Medieval jurist Irnerius) and De iure asylorum, 1624 (on the right of political asylum). The annotation at the second volume are probably written by his hand.

References: I: Adams 163, non in BM, STC; II: Adams 172, non in BM, STC.
OCLC 44829350 for the first part; OCLC 254790747 for the second part, apparently locating only a copy in worldwide public libraries at Universitäts- und Forschungsbibliothek Erfurt/Gotha, Universitätsbibliothek (Erfurt, Germany).

Light waterstains at few leaves at the beginning and end of the volume; a repair in the blank margin of the last leaf. Otherwise, a very fine and attractive copy with two distinguished provenance.