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Giovanni Griffio the Elder

Dublin Core

Title

Giovanni Griffio the Elder

Description

Giovanni Griffio the Elder was likely born in Lyon in 1518 and was a descendant of the Gryphe publishing family, one of the best known dynasties of printers and publishers in Europe in the 16th century. The Gryphe publishing house was originally established in Germany, moving later to Paris, Lyon, and eventually settling in Venice in approximately 1544. The Griffio firm was undoubtedly one of the largest in Venice, having printed more than 340 editions. Of these, eleven were Hebrew books. Griffio the Elder was active from 1545 to 1576 in Venice and from 1555 to 1563 in Padua. In 1549 some of the volumes that Griffio had printed appeared in a catalogue of heretical, suspect, impious and scandalous books which were prohibited in Italy.

Due to the prohibition on printing certain books as a result of the Counterreformation, printers were required to secure the necessary permissions from Italian authorities before conducting their work. In the early 1550s, despite failing to secure the necessary permissions Griffio continued printing, resulting in a fine of 25 ducats and a sentence of one month in prison.

Several publishers and booksellers in Venice approached Griffio for his services and his business expanded greatly. Griffio the Elder stopped printing in 1576, and it is reasonable to assume that he died in the same year, possibly because of the plague that decimated a quarter of the population of Venice between 1575 and 1577.

Griffio’s printer’s device emphasizes his close relationship with the dynasty of Lyon. A griffin stands holding up a box with its claws to which is chained a winged globe, the symbol of the world. There are at least seven versions of this printer’s mark. It often includes the motto “Virtute duce, comite fortuna” meaning “under the guidance of valor, accompanied by good fortune.”

Pictured here is the title page of "Be'ur al ha-Torah" written by Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno and printed in approximately 1567. Griffio's traditional Latin motto has been replaced with a Hebrew variant and reads: "without the influence of good fortune, wisdom is of little use," also translated as "wisdom without good luck accomplishes little."

Source

Amram, David Werner. The Makers of Hebrew Books in Italy: Being Chapters in the History of the Hebrew Printing. Philadelphia: J.H. Greenstone, 1909.

Bloch, Joshua. "Venetian Printers of Hebrew Books." In Hebrew Printing and Bibliography, 63-88. New York: New York Public Library and Ktav Publishing House, 1976.

Treccani

Rights

Digital Image: Washington University in Saint Louis

Identifier

bri_ins_beuralhatorah_unknown_0864.jpg

Citation

“Giovanni Griffio the Elder,” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections & Exhibitions, accessed March 29, 2024, http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/8337.