A Collection of Books Documenting the Social Advancement of Women in Italy & Spain in the 18th Century

A source collection of antiquarian books and engravings formed by Richard von Hunderdorff on Cicisbeismo, the unusual social convention peculiar to the Italian Enlightenment.  The subject of the catalogue is the relationship between married women and young men of noble birth in 18th century Italy and Spain.  This collection is a sophisticated look at 18th century continental women and their position in society. The collection deals with the status of noble women, their place in society, the restraints to their freedoms, and the ways they were able to engage men as escorts and confidants which allowed them to participate more openly in the social setting of their period. 
What is perhaps most interesting about the collection is that it not only chronicles the evolution of the position of women in Italy and Spain but records the reaction to this social phenomenon by French, German and English writers and visitors to these countries.  The criticism was almost universal and at times ferocious.  The English and the Germans in particular portrayed the women as prostitutes, the young gentleman as sodomites, and the husbands as cockolds and by doing so provide stunning insights into the social status of women in their own country. 
This collection is a remarkable library of books and illustrations documenting the struggle for women to become greater participants in the societies in which they lived.
 A Copy of a Printed Catalogue is Available upon Request.  Payment terms are available.  . (Inventory #: 1219)