Vita Beati P. Ignatii Loiolae, Societatis Iesu fundatoris.

8vo: 79 (of 81) pl., 6 text ff. bound facing (pl. 53 and 69 missing; lower corner to title missing, some (sm.) tears strengthened, some soiling).

Mod. half brown cloth, marbled paper covers, flat spine (very trimmed copy).

Rare 1st ed. of this collection of plates: engr. title, portrait of Loyola and 77 (of 79) plates depicting the life of Ignatius of Loyola, after the biography by Pedro de Ribadeneira published in 1569. The plates are attributed to Cornelis Galle after designs, for some of them, by Peter Paul Rubens. Captions attributed to the Hungarian Cardinal Peter Pázmány (1570-1637); at the end, 6 ff. with the translations of Latin captions in Italian. Our work was probably conceived and published in order to promote Ignatius' canonisation.
Ref. DBS XI:1485:17 & cp. VI:1730-1731 (other ed.). - Insolera 51. - Cicognara 2139.