Lovanii, Excudebat Servatius Sassenus, Expensis Viduae Arnoldi Birckmanni, 1551, 2 volumes, in-folio (37.7 x 20.5 cm - 14.8 x 8.1 inches), 7 ff. - Fol. 213, 10 ff. - Fol. 403 , contemporary full brown calf (leather restorations on joints and spine-ends), spine raised on 6 doubles bands, 5 compartments decorated with gilt fleurons, around sides doubles fillets stamped with fleurons on corners, gilt fleuron in center of the boards, 1 compartment with handwritten lettered paper label, red edges.
Rare edition of Louvain (Leuven) given by the printer Servais Van Sassen, native of Diest (Belgium), on behalf of the widow of Arnold Birckman. At the time of his nomination as Proto-typographer by Philippe II, he is congratulated by Christophe Plantin who is also royal censor. For this reason the Antwerp printer awarded him 1570 a certificate where he certifies that the Louvanist printer "a esté trouvé expert en l'art d'imprimerie en toutes ses parties, et sachant bien latin, flameng, français et aucunement le grec et l'espagnol". The monk Rupert (died 4 March 1129), born near Ypres (Belgium), embraced the rule of Saint Benoit, in the abbey of St. Lawrence near Liege. His knowledge and his piety acquired to him a so great reputation, that Frederic, archbishop of Cologne, drew him from his cloister (circa 1119) to do him abbot of Saint Heribert of Deutz (or Deutsch), monastery located on left bank of the Rhine at the east of Cologne. His comments on the great parts of the books of the Scriptures propose to bring back all its contain to the works of the Trinity. His treatise of the Divine Offices treats on religious ceremonies. Rupert de Deutz "defended the more mystical theology traditional in the Benedictine Order, with its allegorical interpretation of Scripture" (Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, p. 1188). Bound with 2 other works of the same author, dated successively of 1540 and 1543 (at the colophon 1542) and published in Antwerp by Arnold Birckman : In Cantica Canticorum de incarnation domini Commentario libri VII. a multi seculis in uns us que diem max. décider. multoque lab. ac sumtu jam tandem excusi., 4 off. - Fol. LXIII [followed by ] De divinis officiis Libri XII, 6 off. - Fol. CLXVII. These 2 last treaties are very nicely enriched by allegorical reference letters. Each part has a separately title page with the printer mark has title device. The printer Arnold Birckman worked at the sign of the " fatty hen" and had placed this animal in his typographical blazon. Handwritten owner's inscription on title. Cfr. Valerius Andreas, Bibl. Belgica, pop. 804 -805 ; La Wallonie, le Pays et les Hommes, t.1, pp. 200- 201.