Opera.

Pontano, Giovanni Gioviano.

Opera.

Venice

Aldus Manutius

August 1505.

The crowded title-page of this collection of verse by Giovanni Giovano Pontano (1426 or 1429–1503) in the normal course of events would have prevented the appearance of the dolphin and anchor device for want of adequate space. It happened, however, that the diminutive Greek Hours of the Virgin, of July 1505, a 32mo, had required the contemporary creation of a device considerably smaller than the device printed in the octavos. The Greek Hours of 1505 is an exceedingly rare volume, so the small device’s employment here has enabled it to be seen more readily than otherwise would have been the case.

From the collection of H. George Fletcher.