La pieza de Febrero

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The Piece of the Month for February, presented by the Library Service, joins the commemoration of the Fifth Centenary of the School of Salamanca (1526–2026) by showcasing to the university community a magnificent copy of “Tractatus de legibus, ac Deo legislatore: in decem libros distributus” (1612), commonly known as “De legibus”. This seminal work by the Jesuit theologian, jurist, and philosopher Francisco Suárez, SJ (1548–1617), is regarded as one of the most distinguished continuations of this intellectual movement. His contributions helped lay the foundations of a global and humanizing legal ethic, grounded in a vision of the dignity and rights of all persons that transcends national boundaries. Fr. Suárez, SJ, defended the common good, the legitimacy of diverse indigenous sovereignties, and a ius gentium that may be considered a precursor to modern human rights and international law.

The title page, printed in two colors, features the woodcut emblem of the Society of Jesus. The IHS monogram is framed by a richly ornamented border combining allegorical figures, foliage, and heraldic motifs. The letters “IHS” and the pierced heart within the central oval of the woodcut are highlighted in red, visually emphasizing the name of Jesus.

The work is structured into ten books, whose opening pages and tables of contents are decorated with woodcut bands, a large central title in capital letters, and an elaborate initial. The text is set in two columns with marginal annotations. It was printed in Coimbra, a major Jesuit and university center of the seventeenth century, by the Portuguese printer Diogo Gomes de Loureiro, active from around 1600 to 1649. Loureiro was the successor and son-in-law of António de Mariz, printer to the University of Coimbra, whose workshop attained notable prestige during the Habsburg period.

The volume is printed in folio format, conferring upon the work a high editorial status. This size not only facilitated reading and annotation but also conveyed a sense of majesty and solemnity, reinforcing its symbolic value for the academic audience for which it was intended. The binding, executed in leather (pasta española), is richly decorated with gilt tooling across all raised bands, featuring small fleurons and a central lozenge motif framed by fine fillets and borders. Only the second compartment bears a red leather label with the author’s name and abbreviated title stamped in gilt capitals. The edges are also stained red. At the lower part of the spine, a modern paper label with the handwritten shelf mark “72 / 47” indicates its incorporation into the Library of the Pontifical University of Comillas (Santander), from which it was later transferred to its current location.