1580 Scarce Book - Ovid’s Metamorphoses - Ovidii Metamorphoseon, Illustrated

Author: Publius Ovidius Naso (Ovid).
Title: Ovidii Metamorphoseon Libri XV. In quibus corrigendis, collatis probatissimis fide exemplaribus, maximam profecto adhibuimus diligentiam.
Publisher: Venetiis: apud Ioan. Gryphium [Giovanni Griffio], 1580.
Language: Text in Latin.
Size: 6 x 4.5 inches.
Pages: 432 pages (collated complete).
Binding: Good contemporary full limp vellum with yapp edges, hand-lettered title Ovidii Metamorphoseon on spine. The binding remains supple and sound, with expected age toning, some small cracks to upper joint, and light wear to extremities (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. A well-preserved 16th-century Venetian vellum binding.
Content: Good content (tight, rare light foxing, toning and staining - as shown, early ink inscription on front endpaper “Dalla Biblioteca del Consijdico Gio. Battista Brignoni”, indicating provenance from an Italian private collection - as shown, small ink stain to the upper portion of page 233 (text still readable) - as shown, pages 140–154 have been replaced in period with neatly penned manuscript leaves, written in a contemporary hand—likely the same as the ownership note—faithfully reproducing the missing printed text - as shown). 
Illustrations: Illustrated with 15 fine woodcut chapter-head vignettes depicting mythological scenes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses—including Creation of the World, Apollo and Daphne, Phaëthon’s Fall, and Niobe’s Lament—each within a decorative border. The woodcuts are crisp and well-inked, typical of Gryphius’s Venetian craftsmanship. Complete.

Estimate: (USD 1,000– 1,200).

The book: A rare and beautifully preserved Venetian 1580 edition of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, printed by Giovanni Griffio, one of Venice’s most distinguished Renaissance printers. Griffio’s editions were celebrated for their scholarly accuracy and elegant typography, appealing to both humanists and collectors of fine classical texts. This compact yet richly illustrated volume presents Ovid’s fifteen books of mythological transformations in Latin, edited and annotated for learned readers of the late Renaissance.

Of particular note is the contemporary manuscript replacement of fourteen leaves (pp. 140–154)—a highly sympathetic and historically fascinating restoration executed in an elegant late 16th-century hand. Such manuscript insertions are rarely encountered and demonstrate the value placed upon classical texts by early owners and readers. The handwritten leaves replicate the printed text with remarkable care, ensuring textual continuity and reflecting the dedication of early bibliophiles.

The author: Publius Ovidius Naso (43 B.C.–17 A.D.) was one of Rome’s greatest poets, famed for his wit, refinement, and imaginative storytelling. His Metamorphoses—a sweeping epic of 15 books—retells classical myths through the theme of transformation, weaving together over 250 tales of gods, heroes, and mortals. Exiled by Emperor Augustus to Tomis on the Black Sea, Ovid’s poetry profoundly influenced Western literature, inspiring writers from Dante and Chaucer to Shakespeare and Milton.