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St. Augustine
De civitate Dei (The City of God)
Printed on vellum by Nicolaus Jenson in Venice, 2 October 1475
Opening: Augustine's Vision of the City of God by Girolamo da Cremona (?)
Purchased by Pierpont Morgan with the library of Theodore Irwin, 1900; PML 310
See CORSAIR catalog record for this item »

Many magnificent books were printed in Venice. This copy of De civitate Dei left the printing press without initials and decorative borders, which were added by hand—probably by Girolamo da Cremona. The lavish frontispiece depicts St. Augustine standing to the side of his scholarly study before a distant landscape. The Heavenly City of his vision, with angelic guardians standing at the gates, floats in the distance.

Clearly a luxury item, this book was printed on vellum. Set unobtrusively, near the center of the page, is the blue-and-white coat of arms of the Mocenigo family. Pietro Mocenigo was doge of Venice from 1474 to 1476; the volume probably once belonged to him.

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