INQUISITION. SPANISH RENAISSANCE. RECONQUISTA Abbé... Lot 1

INQUISITION. SPANISH RENAISSANCE. RECONQUISTA Abbé FLÉCHIER. History of Cardinal Ximenes. By Messire Esprit Fléchier Bishop of Nismes. A Paris, Chez Jean Anisson, 1693. Full contemporary pebbled calf, in-4 format, spine ribbed, red morocco title-piece underlined by gilt roulettes, gilt floral caissons, red speckled edges. [3]-XVIII-659-[16] pp, engraved frontispiece, fine etchings in vignettes and culs de lampe, engraved lettrines, untrimmed copy. Rare original. Princeps - a 2-volume in-12 edition in the same year - of this rather hagiographic portrait by one of the great orators of the 17th century. Decorated with a burin portrait-frontispiece of Ximenes, engraved and signed by E Delinck, and illustrated with etchings in 6 title bands and 6 culs-de-lampe, engraved and signed by Sébastien. Expert : Mme Aude de Sèvedavy. Le Clerc ; lettrines. Fine Florence fleur-de-lys typographical mark on title page. The Castilian cardinal Francisco Ximénes de Cisneros (1436-1517) remained famous for his role as grand inquisitor, his reforms of the clergy and his political actions. Period handwritten ex libris (scratched) on the front flyleaf. A few very discreet annotations in pen on the endpapers. Some light marginal dampening and foxing, worn binding (spalls, stains) and blackened upper corner, pagination error between pp. 441 and 445 without missing or affecting the order of the text.