SPRETI, Desiderio. De amplitudine, eversione, et restauratione urbis Ravennae libri tres. A Camillo Spreti.in italicum idioma versi, et notis illustrati.
Ravennae: typis Ant. Roveri apud fratres Fava, 1793-96.
£ 4,000
FIRST EDITION. 2 books in 3 volumes. 4to. 1) (12), XXIV, 498, (20) pp.; 2) XVII, (1), 591, (5) pp.; 3) (4), 264, (142) pp. Vol. 1: Half title page; Engraved sepia frontispiece by Gaspare Ginanni with portrait of the author; T-page; Full page engraving of the coat of arms of Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, to whom the work is dedicated; portrait of the author by Ginanni after p. 78. Vol. 2: Half title; T-page. Vol. 3: Half title; T-page. 16 plates designed by Volpini and engraved by Eredi (13 in vol 1, 3 in vol. 2) and numerous fold-out engraved plates throughout. Roman and Italic script, in Latin and Italian. Damp-staining and foxing in all volumes; wide margins; thick paper, some pages still uncut. Marbled boards, early cloth backs; corners bumped; upper right corners of volume one and three damaged. Overall, an excellent copy.
Magnificent edition of the famous history of Ravenna (printed for the first time in 1489 and then in 1588) here enriched with the Italian version, with various additions, including the notes of Camillo Spreti and the addition on the mosaics. The Latin text ends on page 76 of vol.1. The title of the Italian version reads “Of the origin, and of the magnificence, of the decadence and of the resurgence of the city of Ravenna, in three books”. This monumental work, fundamental for the extraordinary history of Ravenna, is a rare and sought-after exemplar.
Cicognara 4324-5; Lozzi 3935; Schlosser-Magnino 585.