Description
Like many 16th century printers of Hebrew books, Ṿitsentso Ḳonṭi (also Vincenzo Conti) of Cremona, Italy was a Christian who employed Jewish assistants. On this copy of Sefer Tashbets, Ḳonṭi employed a particularly elaborate printer's device, featuring a helmeted woman, an open book in her left hand, in her right hand a small man bearing a laurel. Below is a lion, and below that, water flows from a large jar beside a crowned figure (perhaps a river god).
The book is undated, but the ornate printer's device helps us approximate the year of publication. This device was used by Conti on only three books, and we know the other two were published in 1556.