1666 Latin Vulgate Bible – Antoine Vitré, Copinger Provenance
1666 Clementine Latin Vulgate Bible – Antoine Vitré, Paris (Walter Arthur Copinger Provenance)
Overview
An important seventeenth-century edition of the Latin Vulgate Bible, Biblia Sacra Vulgatae Editionis, printed in Paris in 1666 by Antoine Vitré, Printer to the King and the Gallican Clergy (Regis & Cleri Gallicani Typographus).
This edition presents the Sixto-Clementine Vulgate, the Latin biblical text associated with the authority of Popes Sixtus V and Clement VIII. It is distinguished by its extensive chronological and historical annotations, geographical reference material, and supplementary scholarly apparatus.
Particularly noteworthy is the provenance of this copy. The front pastedown bears the armorial bookplate of Walter Arthur Copinger (1847–1910), the distinguished English bibliographer, antiquarian, and book collector who played a leading role in the founding of the Bibliographical Society of London and produced important bibliographical studies of early printed Bibles. The volume also bears the institutional bookplate of the General Theological Seminary Library at Chelsea Square, New York City.
These ownership marks connect the volume with both an important figure in biblical bibliography and a historic theological library.
Bibliographical Specifications
Title: Biblia Sacra Vulgatae Editionis
Edition: Sixto-Clementine Vulgate, with chronological and historical notes
Printer: Antoine Vitré (Antonius Vitré)
Place of Publication: Paris, France
Date: 1666 (M. DC. LXVI), as stated on the general title page
Language: Latin, with French text in the royal printing privilege
Format: British Quarto
Editorial Contribution: Claude Lancelot is identified in bibliographical records as the editor of this edition; Augustin Lubin contributed supplementary chronological and geographical material.
Provenance: Armorial bookplate of Walter Arthur Copinger and institutional bookplate of the General Theological Seminary Library
Printing, Typography, and Scholarly Features
The Bible is printed in a traditional double-column Roman type format, accompanied by marginal historical and chronological notes. Ornamental woodcut initials enhance the text, while the supplementary material expands the volume's usefulness as a historical and geographical reference work.
Notable features include:
Extensive chronological and historical annotations (Notis Chronologicis et Historicis Illustrata).
Historical timelines presenting biblical chronology and the ages of the world.
Genealogical material, including a family tree associated with King Herod.
The royal printing privilege (Privilege du Roy) issued under the authority of Louis XIV.
Supplementary chronological tables and a comprehensive sacred geographical reference section (Tabulae Sacrae Geographicae).
Together, these features reflect the scholarly approach to biblical history and chronology found in seventeenth-century European Bible publishing.
Binding and Exterior
The volume is bound in brown leather, with raised bands and gilt-stamped spine lettering. The boards remain firmly attached, and the binding retains a substantial, traditional appearance.
The front joint shows cracking along the leather hinge, with a small area of separation beginning at the top of the spine where it meets the rear cover. The boards display light scuffing and shelf wear consistent with age and handling.
The text-block edges retain a heavily applied gilt finish that remains remarkably bright.
Detailed Condition
Interior: The pages are generally clean, crisp, and bright for a volume of this age, with normal light age-toning. Foxing is minimal and limited to a few scattered spots throughout the volume.
A few pages in the New Testament section show light surface staining and smudging, primarily in the margins, together with minor cockling or paper rippling on some leaves.
Paper Flaws: One introductory page has a tear along the inner edge near the gutter, as well as a small, clean tear in the bottom margin. The following page also has a small tear along its inner edge near the gutter. None of these tears results in a loss of text.
Structural Condition: Despite the noted wear to the front hinge and the beginning of separation at the upper rear joint, the binding remains tight and structurally sound, with the boards firmly attached.
These condition notes reflect observations made during examination. The accompanying photographs provide collectors with the opportunity to assess the binding, interior, provenance markings, and other details independently.
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Collection Reference: AS-1069
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