A leaf (page) from Ovid's Art of Love (P. Ovidii Nasonis Opera Quae Vocantur Amatoria) printed by Heruagius at Basel, Switzerland, in 1549.

The leaf measures about 7 3/4" x 12 1/8". The text is in large type in the center, surrounded by commentary by Micyllus in smaller type. The leaf is from Book 2 of the Art of Love and contains Elegies 3 and 4. There is printing on both sides, consisting of pages 291 and 292 of the volume from which it was taken.

The leaf comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from the dealer who sold it to our father. Although the certificate was printed without a letterhead, the dealer was Phillip J. Barber of Boston, Mass.

The leaf is in excellent condition, with the text bright and vivid. Suitable for framing.

The Ars amatoria (The Art of Love) is an instructional elegy series in three books by the ancient Roman poet Ovid. It was written in 2 AD.

Book one of Ars amatoria was written to show a man how to find a woman. In book two, Ovid shows how to keep her. These two books contain sections which cover such topics as "not forgetting her birthday", "letting her miss you - but not for long", and "not asking about her age".

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Our father was a bibliophile who collected rare books, letters, and ephemera for more than 60 years. For now and into the foreseeable future, we will be listing rare paper items from his estate.

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