(1714) Opera & Pitisci Commentary. In exceptional, beautifully preserved contemporary full vellum with original gilded leather spine labels.

26x20x6 cm's, 1850 grams. 4to (Quarto). Tomus I (Volume 1 of 2)., 724 pp. Complete text block for Volume 1, covering the biographies of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius. Text in Latin with Greek citations.Bound in magnificent, authentic contemporary full vellum. The binding is in exceptional condition, with the boards remaining remarkably flat and free of the severe humidity warping or corner curling typical of 18th-century vellum. Spine features four distinct raised bands and two early contrasting dark morocco leather title labels with crisp, gilded lettering reading "C. SUETONII TRANQUILLI OPERA" and "TOM. I." Text block edges are uniformly decorated with a historic red sprayed finish (rubricated).
Internally very clean with minimal age-toning. This copy features a vast array of the publication's renowned illustrations, containing the elaborate engraved allegorical frontispiece, 5 full-page standalone plates of imperial Roman coins, 9 standalone full-page or folding plates mapping classical Roman antiquities (including the Circus Games, Triumphal Parades, and Gladiatorial layout), and 6 highly detailed in-text copperplate vignettes (Baths, Strigils, Engineering Cranes, etc.).
Text leaves are perfectly intact, contiguous, and clean throughout, showing no evidence of text gaps, torn sheets, or removed binder stubs. Features 14 of the standalone plates assigned to Volume 1 and multiple illustrations, (Images); a pristine, complete-as-issued text block variant showing no signs of historical modification. A beautifully preserved, bright, and structurally superior example of early 18th-century Dutch scholarship and premium bookbinding.