VERY SCARCE COPY PRINTED ON VELLUM
THE COPY QUOTED BY BRUNET, WITH CARDINAL ORSINI’S SIGNATURE

PIUS V (POPE). EXTENSIO, AMPLIATIO | NOVA CONCESSIO, ET CON- | FIRMATIO PRIVILEGIORVM | SANCTISS. AC BEATISS. D. D. PII | HVIVS NOMINIS V. | PONT. MAX. | IN SACROS ORDINES, ET | CONGREGATIONES CLAUSTRALES. | PRO CANONICIS REGVLARIBVS | ORDINIS S. AUGUSTINI CONGREGATIONIS | DOMINI SALUATORIS. | R O M AE | APUD HAEREDES ANTONIJ BLADI IMPRESSORES CAMERALES. | M. D. LXVII. [Rome, Heirs of Antonio Blado, Cameral Printers, 1567].

4to (226x154 mm), blue morocco modern binding within a box in the same material, gilt frame to covers, five raised bands spine with decorations and letterings printed in gold, ff. [12].

At title-page, woodcut printer’s device with the Christus Salvator Mundi, full-page xylography at verso of title-page representing St. Augustin in episcopal dress and, by his feet, the arms of Pius V. Woodcut initials.

Very scarce copy printed on vellum, with the signature of Cardinal Flavio Orsini and the countersignature of the notary Matteo Boccarini: this is the copy quoted by Brunet in his Trèsor and, afterwards, by Graesse, both recording the presence of this copy on the antiquarian market around the middle of the 19th century.

The book deals with the confirmation and extension of the privileges bestowed by the Pope to the Regular Canons of the Congregation of the Holy Saviour in Lateran, best known as St. John in Lateran. On the 3rd of March of 1566, Pius V appointed Flavio Orsini dean of the Congregation of the Regular Canons of St. Augustin of the Holy Saviour: the original document is stored in the «Archivio Storico Capitolino».

Provenance: Presumably the copy made for the Pope himself, as proven by the use of vellum as printing basis. At verso of the last leaf, official signature Fra: Car.lis Urs.s with countersignature of the notary M. Boccarinus ca: ap: not(aius): he should be Matteo Boccarini from Amelia (near Terni), very close to the Orsini family. Boccarini himself was the notary that wrote the wedding contracts between Federico Sforza of St. Fiora and Beatrice Orsini, to whom Flavio Orsini let a dowry of 22000 scutes (Archivio Orsini, in «Archivio Storico Capitolino», II.A.26,003).

Census: No copy on vellum in Censimento. Also the paper copies are scarce, only 5 copies located in Italian public libraries: Bologna U; Reggio Emilia, Biblioteca Panizzi; Reggio Emilia, Archivio di Stato; Roma, N; Roma, Biblioteca Angelica. There seems to be no copy (unaccountably) at the Vatican Library.

References: The copy quoted by Brunet (IV, 681): «Un exemplaire imprimé sur VÉLIN, accompagné de la confirmation desdits priviléges, par le cardinal Orsini, en manuscrit. 2 liv. 16 sh. Libri, en 1859». Graesse, V, 307: «Il ne existe un ex. tiré sur vélin (15 fr. Mac-Carthy. 2 l. 16 sh. Libri)». For the original manuscript of this work see in «Archivio Storico Capitolino» (Archivio Orsini, II.A.26,005).

A small hole probably due to a metallic point (binder’s distraction?) at lower inner margin. A very fine copy.