An early edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses, illustrated with the fine woodcuts of German mannerist Virgil Solis (1514-1562).
The great Nuremberg artist and engraver was commissioned by a consortium of Frankfurt printers, namely Sigmund Feyerabend, Corvinus and Gallus' heirs, to produce the illustrations which were first published in 1563; this appears to be the second printing with this accompanying text. All early editions are rare.
Solis modelled his woodcuts on those provided by the Lyonese artist Bernard Salomon for the De Tournes' edition of 1557. His lively interpretations proved immensely popular, with the blocks being re-used in c. 25 editions up to 1652, with accompanying texts in Dutch, Flemish, German, Latin, and Spanish. Solis has been described as the most prolific graphic artist in mid-16th century Germany, with over two thousand prints and book illustrations attributed to his workshop. He was active from 1540 until his death in 1562 as a graphic artist, and probably painter, noted for his designs for goldsmiths and his copies after other masters. Following Hans Sebald Beham's death in 1550 he became the principal book illustrator for Feyerabend and other Frankfurt publishers.
Provenance: Purchase inscription dated 1696 (with location 'Nordhusae', possibly Nordhouse in Alsace) on fly-leaf of Johannes Henricus Michaelis, his name also inscribed on title page, some early underlining and marginal notation in red. Ownership inscription in C19th hand, Joannes Lek[?] to front pastedown, inscriptions in similar hand on verso of rear flyleaf in ?Hungarian might suggest eastern European provenance. 20th-century bookplate of 'Bibliotheca Gutekunst' on verso of fly-leaf facing title-page.
A little stained and toned at beginning but generally fresh.
VD16 O1651. OCLC US: Bowdoin College, Maine only. Ref: Grove Dictionary of Art, vol. 29, pp. 43-44.
