An Essay in the History of Gold-Tooled
Bindings by Herbert P. Horne
London 1894
Maiolus. Of the history of this collector, nothing is known, except that he enjoyed the
conversation of Grolier, and that he was still living in.1555. There are two books, one a copy of a
translation of the Psalms into Italian, Venice, 1534, described by Brunet; the other a copy of the
Offices, and other works of Cicero, Basle, 1528, in the Public Library, at Lyons, on whose
bindings are stamped the name and legend of Maiolus, and in which Grolier has written his
name, or motto. These are the only extant documents of their friendship. In 1497, Aldus
Manutius published at Venice, two Latin works, entitled De Gradz"bus Medz"cz'narum, and
Epz"phylNdes z"n Dz"alectz"cz's, by Laurentius Maiolus, who is thought to have been a
bloodrelation, perhaps an uncle, of the possessor of the books. In a prefatory letter, Aldus
speaks of Laurentius Maiolus, the Genoese, as a man singularly learned, and of an admirable
wit: adding that he professed philosophy at Ferrara, where he was especially favoured by
Erculio d'Este.
In the Libri sale was a copy of a Ceremoniale, Venice, 1516, the binding of which was
stamped with the legend: Michaeli Maio. C. OR., which M. Libri read, in the preface to his
catalogue, thus: Michaeli Maioli Caesa. Oratio. Again, M. Aime Vingtrinier, in a tract entitled, Maioli
et sa tamil/e, Paris, 1891, finds in the name Maiolus, a Latinised form of Mayol, the name of the
illustrious Provenlfal house of Saint Mayol, fourth Abbot of Cluny. Much, indeed, has been
suggested, but very little discovered about Maiolus: and these are the only notices concerning
h,im, which are worth any serious consideration.
The kind of design, which is most commonly found on his bindings, consists in a richly
floriated border, forming a panel, in the centre of which is a cartouche stamped with the title of
the book. A copy of the Hypnerotomachia, Venice, 1499, in the Museum, is bound in this manner
[C. 24- c. 19.]: the book is covered with black morocco j and the panel of the upper board inlaid
with citron morocco. Both solid and azured tools are used in the border, the ground of which is
studded with gold points: and the back is without bands, and ornamented with a continuous
pattern, similar to that of the boards. Within the border, on the tail edge of the upper board, is
the legend, 'THO. MAIOLI ET AMICORVM': and on the cartouche of the lower board is a cypher,
which, according to M. Guigard in his Nouvel Armorial du Bibliophile, is composed of the letters
A,E,H,I,L, M,O,P,S,T j forming the nameE. P. THOMAS MAIOLI.' But this explanation cannot be
accepted, as an N, and an R, rather than a P, are plainly discernible in this cypher, which, as it
takes the place of any legend, probably does not stand for a name always accompanying it at
length.