Rare first edition of the expanded Emblematum libellus, described as "the most skilful of the Alciati interpretations" (Mortimer). The present edition is the first to include the beautiful woodcut series made for De Tournes by Bernard Salomon (ca. 1506-1559), or "Le Petit Bernard". This series was published separately only one year before by the Aldine printing house in Venice. The present copy has been beautifully bound by the Parisian bookbinder Marcelin Lortic (1852-1928) for the library of the Prince d'Essling, Victor Masséna d'Essling et de Rivoli (1836-1910).
The device on the title page, of two griffins with their tails intertwined and holding a tablet with the motto: "quod tibi non vis", was the device of Sebastian Gryphius, with whom De Tournes had learned his art and for whom Jean de Tournes had published several titles since 1540. The device was probably used because it was well known in Lyons. De Tournes's full motto reads: "Quod tibi non vis, alteri ne feceris". However, in the course of the sixteenth century the family De Tournes became even better known as Gryphius; the De Tournes remained in business at Lyons until the end of the 18th century. The printer's device to the colophon showed a medallion with a tetrahedron in centre, and the motto round the border: "nescit labi virtus". The woodcuts beautifully illustrate the Latin emblems, printed in four to ten lines underneath the illustrations in the first book, a few single emblems running over to the next page.
With the bookbinder's name (M LORTIC) tooled in gold at the foot of the front turn-in. The binding is in excellent condition. The front free flyleaf is detached, but still present, the work is lightly browned throughout, leaf B2 has been professionally restored. Otherwise in good condition. Adams et all, Bibliography of French emblem books, F.019; BM STC French, p. 8; Cartier I, p. 216-9 (nr. 72); Duplessis, 24; Green, Alciati, 29; Landwehr, Romanic emblem books, 34; Pettegree & Walsby, French vernacular book, 52395; Praz p. 249; USTC 124288 (6 copies); cf. Buisson, p. 16 (1549 ed.); Mortimer 17 (1580 ed.).