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In omnia P. Ovidii Nasonis opera observationes, 1583

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Record ID cp012345
Voet reference number992
Museum Plantin-Moretus c:lvd:633152
Author Hercules CIOFANUS (CIOFANO)
Title page transcriptionHERCVLIS ‖ CIOFANI ‖ SVLMONENSIS ‖ IN OMNIA ‖ P. OVIDII NASONIS ‖ OPERA ‖ Obseruationes. ‖ VNA ‖ Cum ipsius Ouidij Vita, & descri- ‖ ptione Sulmonis. ‖ ⊕ 34 ‖ ANTVERPIÆ, ‖ Ex officina Christophori Plantini. ‖ M.D.LXXXIII.
Collation8⁰ [131]: **⁴, †-††⁸; pages [1-8], 1-31, [32] (Errors: 9 not numbered)
Fingerprint158308 - # 1a1 +2 ris$ : # 1a2 2+3 tis$ha - # 1b1 A2 ea$in : # 1b2 N5 tet,$ - # 2b1 a2 iudi : # 2b2 g3 us$a - # 2a1 *2 EG : # 2a2 *5 oma - # 3b1 2A pr : # 3b2 2V4 mor,$
Number of sheets41.50
Pages[1]: Title [2]: Blank [3-7]: Poems by Paullus Melissus, Ianus Pelusius, Io. Franciscus Ferrarius, I. Hieronymus Catena, Bernardinus Leo, Iacobus Guerrerius (italic type) [8]: Blank [1]: ANTIQVISS. AC NOBILISS. ‖ VRBIS SVLMONIS ‖ DESCRIPTIO, ‖ HERCVLE CIOFANO ‖ AVCTORE. ‖ Vnà cum Ouidij vita & effigie. (= title) [2]: Blank 3-6: Hercules Ciofanus syndicis ac consiliariis Sulmonis S.D. (21 August 1578) 7-14: Descriptio Sulmonis (parts in italic type) 15-25: Ovidii vita ab Aldo Pio Manutio. Ex eius ipsius operibus collecta (parts in italic type) 26: Hercules Ciofanus Caesari Corvo Sulmonensi signed by (Rome, 23 June 1579) 27-29: Ovidii vita (parts in italic type) 30-31: Ovidii Angeli Politiani de Ovidii exsilio et morte, elegia (italic type) 31: De eodem Iulii Caesaris Scaligeri epigramma. Loquitur Ovidius ipse ad Augustum 31: De Ovidii effigie lib. I. Trist. eleg. VI. ad Amicum (italic type) [32]: Blank
Edition information
CopiesMuseum Plantin-Moretus- A 1692- A 1687Heritage Library Hendrik Conscience AntwerpKBR Royal Library of BelgiumCambridgeGhent University LibraryUniversity of Groningen LibraryBiblioteca Nacional de PortugalBritish Library LondonBiblioteca Nacional de EspañaVatican Apolstolic LibraryUNamur- R6A.0380
Bibliographical referencesRuelens-de Backer, pages 255-256 (1583, no. 17).Cockx-Indestege, E. Belgica typographica 638
Online bibliographical referencesSTCV c:stcv:12917059USTC 440898
Note 1The Observationes of Ciofanus on the works of Ovidius were published by Plantin from 1581 to 1583 in several volumes (see nos. 989-991), of which this smaller one, with a note on Sulmona and biographical details on Ovidius, forms the last of the series. Formally presented as separate editions with their own title-page and pagination, and the first volumes of the series in fact perhaps sold separately, they were, however, considered to form but one publication and are as such listed in the Plantinian catalogues, M 321 (sub 1582: Herculis Ciofani Sulmonensis in omnia P. Ovidii Nasonis opera observationes una cum ipsius ovidii vita et descriptione Sulmonis, 8⁰, f[euilles] 42, [price:] stuivers 14 [= title of the last volume with the number of sheets of all the volumes together; the other volumes are not detailed in the catalogue]), and M 296, folio 7v (Ciofanii Herculis Observaciones] in op[er]a Ovidii, 8⁰, f[euilles] 42, 1582, [price:] stuivers 14).
Note 2Ciofanus had some of his annotations published at Venice, by Aldus Manutius: In P. Ovidii Nasonis metamorphosis ex XVII antiquis libris observationes, 1575; In P. Ovidii Nasonis fastorum libros, 1579; In P. Ovidii elegias de nuce et de medicamine facie observationes, 1581 (cf. Brunet, II, Columns 71-72). The Italian scholar approached Plantin in 1576 for a new edition of his annotations on the Metamorphosis, but the typographer refused politely, arguing that he could not improve on Aldus Manutius and that in principle he did not reprint the editions of other publishers (letter to Ciofanus, 8 June 1576: Corr., V, no. 728. Cf. also Plantin's remarks to Arias Montanus, 2-8 June 1576: Ibidem, no. 726, page 176). Three years later Ciofanus tried again: he explained to Plantin that he had finished his annotations 'in libros Fastorum, Tristium, de Ponto, in epistolas Heroides, in Ibin, in elegias, in libros de arte et de remedio amoris, in elegias de somno, de nuce ac de medicamine faciei atque Halieuticon' which had already been seen [and approved] by Muretus, Ciacconus, Ursinus and other scholars in Rome; about the annotations on the Metamorphosis he preferred to say nothing as he had already sent much earlier [= in 1576] the enlarged and rewritten version of the first [Aldus] -edition to Plantin (letter of 2 October 1579: Corr., VI, no. 841. Cf. also a letter of Melissus to Plantin, 20 August 1581, in which the scholar affirms that, when in Rome three years ago, he had exhorted Ciofanus to do this work on Ovidius: Ibidem, no. 938). Plantin's answer has not been preserved, but it was in any case positive: in his letter of 15 March 1580 Ciofanus thanks the printer for having accepted the publication of his work, affirming that nothing had already been printed with the exception of the annotations on the Metamorphosis, the description of Sulmona with the life of Ovidius by Aldus Manutius sr., and the scholia on the Fasti and the Halieuticon. The latter two, however, were but small booklets and already out of print as they had only been published in 200 copies. They and the annotations on the Metamorphosis had been much enlarged. These texts, including a copy of the annotations on the Metamorphosis he had mailed some years ago, were given into the hands of an Italian merchant, a friend of Plantin, Casnedo, to be forwarded to the printer (Corr., VI, no. 868; cf. also Ciofanus's letter of 22 March 1580: Ibidem, no. 870). Plantin, on 14 May 1580, acknowledges having received the manuscripts, with the exception of the Metamorphosis and the forewords, explaining further in detail that he has the intention to publish these annotations without the accompanying texts of Ovidius himself, as he had already recently done for Sallustius and Terentius (Corr., VI, no. 876). On 6 August 1580 Ciofanus mailed some corrections: a. new foreword for the Halieuticon; a corrected page for the Metamorphosis (page 224 in Plantin's edition); a new passage in the description of Sulmona (which should have figured on page 13, but was for some reason not reproduced by Plantin) (Ibidem, no. 886). Plantin on 2-12 February 1581 thanks Ciofanus for his letter of 11 January 1581 (which has been lost) and affirms that he will start printing immediately after having finished the Annotations on Cicero of Ursinus, which he hopes to achieve about Easter (26 March) (Ibidem, no. 910). Printing Ursinus's notes on Cicero lasted somewhat longer than expected: in a letter of 22 April 1581 to Ursinus Plantin notes in passing that, having now finished Ursinus's annotations on Cicero, he will take up Ciofanus's texts on Ovidius (Ibidem, no. 927). However, new delays were soon slowing down the production as Plantin details in his letter of 13 September 1581 to Ciofanus (Ibidem, no. 943). On 26 November 1581 the Italian scholar mailed some additions and/or corrections, asking at the same time to delete the foreword to Caesar Corvus preceding the biography of Ovidius (page 26 in the part of the publication described in this no.), arguing that Corvus had done him wrong ('qui et mihi et meis omnibus insignem injuriam fecit') (Corr., VII, no. 964). For some unknown reason, however, this foreword was not deleted. With this letter the correspondence between Ciofanus and Plantin ends. It may be supposed that the scholar and the printer continued to write to each other on the subject, but these letters have not been preserved.
Note 3The whole edition must have been finished in April 1583, as Michel Sonnius, the Parisian bookseller, ordered on the 29th of that month 12 copies 'Observationes Ciofani in Ovidium 8⁰' (Corr., VII, no. 1000. Cf. also another order of 6 copies by Egidius Beys on 4 December 1583: Ibidem, no. 1013).
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