Ovidius Naso, Publius: Opera.

Edited by Johannes Calphurnius

[Venice]:  Jacobus Rubeus, [before Dec.] 1474.
Fol.   [1-510 68 7-1210 13-1412 15-1610 17-188 1910 2012 218 226 23-2510 2612 27-3110 328 336 34-3510 3612 37-4210].   [412] leaves, the first blank.
ISTC io00128000;  Goff O128;  BMC V 214;  Bod-inc O-039.

Shelf-mark: Sp Coll Hunterian Bh.1.18 (see main library entry for this item)
Note: Printer's pin-holes visible.
Provenance: Joseph Smith (1673/4?-1770), British Consul in Venice:  engraved armorial bookplate on front pastedown;  lot 1455 “Ovidii Metamorphoseon, edit. princeps, sine anno & loco” in 'Bibliotheca Smithiana:  a catalogue of the curious, elegant, and very valuable library of Joseph Smith ...' (London:  1773).
William Hunter (1718-1783), physician and anatomist:  purchased by Hunter at the Smith sale for £5.15.6 according to the annotated BL copy of the Smith sale catalogue - shelfmark S.C.S. 8(7).
University of Glasgow:  Hunterian bequest 1807;  Hunterian Museum bookplate - originally pasted over Consul Smith bookplate - now removed.
Binding: Italy, 18th-century vellum;  green leather title label on spine;  green-edged leaves;  green silk bookmark.   Size:  324 x 235 mm.
Leaf size: 316 x 229 mm.
Annotations: Frequent (washed-out) marginal annotations in black ink in a humanist hand, often extracting keywords;  occasional, brief  marginal annotations in a humanist hand in red ink;  frequent “nota” marks;  running book numbers “I”-“XV” on rectos.
Decoration: Ten-line initial “I” on 1/2r supplied in purple, green and blue on a rectangular gold ground, with a floral border in the same colours in the inner and upper margins.
Imperfections: Metamorphoses only (gatherings 1-14);  wanting the blank leaf 1/1.

Illuminated border in Ovidius Naso, Publius: Opera