La Commedia
From Author Wars - https://authorwars.com/publications/la-commedia-524644.html
Overview:
- Title: La Commedia
- Author: Dante Alighieri
- Year: 1481
- Publisher: Nicolaus Laurentii
- Pages: 728
- Binding: Hardcover
- Type: Novel
- Title Reference: La Commedia
- Notes:
- The first illustrated edition of Dante, and the second Florentine illustrated book. The first edition of Landino's "Commentary".
- Engravings by Baccio Baldini after Botticelli. Hard cover copies contain (when complete) 19 engravings. Paper copies usually have usually 2 (occasionally 3) engravings printed directly on page of text (the first three cantos); the others are mounted, although these are often missing (only about 20 copies are known with all engravings, cf. Christie's).
- "This monumental edition was designed as a patriotic celebration of Florentine cultural superiority, made explicit in the prefatory essays by Landino and Ficino. The original plan had been to illustrate all the cantos, but only 19 of the 100 engravings were finally executed." (Christie's Auction House).
- There are variant spellings of "Christophoro Landino"; the one used here is verified by the image of the first page of that essay in the copy sold by Christie's.
- A photographic facsimile of this edition was produced in 1921, and is listed here.
- Data from Christie's Auction House (sale 10455) and from WorldCat.