SADELER, Jean and Raphaël and VOS, Maarten de. Solitudo, siv - Lot 289

SADELER, Jean and Raphaël and VOS, Maarten de. Solitudo, sive Vitæ Patrum Eremicolarum. S.l.n.é. [circa 1590]. In quarto / In-4 oblong (240x205mm) format. Ivory velvet, straight spine, two pairs of leather straps. 28 pages, 1 engraved title page and 28 captioned engravings mounted on tabs. Binding rubbed, stains on first board, spotting on second board, 3 of 4 straps missing. First part incomplete, lacking the 29th plate (Brunet V, 23) of the suite of engravings by the Sadeler brothers on the Desert Fathers. A total of 132 copper-engraved plates were produced by Raphaël (c.1561-c.1628) and Jean Sadeler (c.1550-c.1600), based on drawings by Maarten de Vos (1532-1603), in 5 volumes. The first 28, those of the present work, are dedicated to the Abbas who retired to the deserts of Egypt, Syria and Cyprus. Each engraved legend describes the saint's life and deeds in 4 verses. An example is the legend accompanying Paul of Thebes: "While the barbaric reign of Decius raged, he oppressed the Christians with cruel evils. Driven out by them, Paul, fleeing from Thebaid, entered the desert and received welcome food from a raven." Paul of Thebes (v.228-v.341), Antony the Great (v.251-356), Spyridon of Trimythonte (270-348), Hilarion of Gaza (291-371) and Malchus of Maronia, known as the Captive Monk, are among those depicted. Short-margined plates, 4 of which have been trimmed, damaging the engraving. Nevertheless, an excellent album, in a modest binding, featuring 28 of the 29 plates in this superb series by the Sadeler brothers.