1805 · Milano
by Monti, Vincenzo
Milano: Dalla Tipografia di Francesco Sonzogno di Gio: Battista librajo e stampatore, 1805. 8vo. 230 x 150 mm., [9 ¼ x 6 inches]. [1], 12, [4], 15, [1]pp. Illustrated with a woodcut vignette of Mercury and Minerva on the title-page. Bound in later 19th century blue morocco, decorated with a gilt floral patterned border enclosing a triple fillet border with stars in the four corners, five raised bands and the author/title information gilt in the decorated compartments; full red silk moire doublures on the inside of each board, enclosed by a gilt patterned dentelle in a floral pattern; glazed paper endleaves; green ribbon page maker. Minor rubbing to the silk doublures, otherwise a fine copy.
This copy with a Manuscript Letter of about 300 words Signed by Monti and is dated 9 June 1808 and is addressed to Legal Counsel of the Prefecture of Bologna.
First edition. Monti’s poems celebrating Napoleon as King of Italy is often referred to under the title “Visione”. It was written in two parts, the first titled, La Supplica di Melpomene e di Italia, Contata da Eseguirsi nel Teatro Filo-Drammatico di Milano and the second, Alla Maestá di Napoleone I. Imperator de’ Francesi Coronato Re d’Italia il Giorno 26 maggio 1805 / Visione. Both title contain the essential elements of neoclassical poetry, the reference to and reverence for classical Greece. His poetry is rational and succinct and contains none of the elements of Romanticism that challenged the genera during this period.
Vincenzo Monti (1754-1828) was the leading Neoclassical poet and playwright in Italy during the periods when Italy was controlled by the French, and then Austrians after Napoleon’s fall. He was an ardent nationalist working to unify Italy, but he curried favor with both the countries and rose through ranks by writing odes and poems flattering these foreign regimes. Monti was recognized by Napoleon as the Poet Laureate of the new Kingdom of Italy and the year these poems were published, as “Historiographer of the Italian Reign”. His actions have polarized his critics and today his writings are viewed through the lens of politics and his reputation has suffered.
The manuscript letter is a reply to a lawyer and begins, “Your answer, my friend, is not good at all.”. It refers to a legal dispute he calls the Gherardi case, where the adversary is acting as both judge and jury. Monti cites existing law, without being specific, that suggests that the issues have already been adjudicated and the Gherardi case is already settled law. Unfortunately, the recipient of the letter is unknown and specific information about the contents of the letter is fugitive. This may be related to his position as Historiographer or some connection with his responsibilities to the ruling party in Milan at the time.
Rare: OCLC cites two copies in Toronto but none in the US: NUC adds copies at Yale, Washington State and Stanford. Not all copies have both parts as described above.
Ernest Hatch Wilkins. A History of Italian Literature, pp.376-77. Giuseppe Izzi, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, v. 76 (2012). . (Inventory #: 1326)
This copy with a Manuscript Letter of about 300 words Signed by Monti and is dated 9 June 1808 and is addressed to Legal Counsel of the Prefecture of Bologna.
First edition. Monti’s poems celebrating Napoleon as King of Italy is often referred to under the title “Visione”. It was written in two parts, the first titled, La Supplica di Melpomene e di Italia, Contata da Eseguirsi nel Teatro Filo-Drammatico di Milano and the second, Alla Maestá di Napoleone I. Imperator de’ Francesi Coronato Re d’Italia il Giorno 26 maggio 1805 / Visione. Both title contain the essential elements of neoclassical poetry, the reference to and reverence for classical Greece. His poetry is rational and succinct and contains none of the elements of Romanticism that challenged the genera during this period.
Vincenzo Monti (1754-1828) was the leading Neoclassical poet and playwright in Italy during the periods when Italy was controlled by the French, and then Austrians after Napoleon’s fall. He was an ardent nationalist working to unify Italy, but he curried favor with both the countries and rose through ranks by writing odes and poems flattering these foreign regimes. Monti was recognized by Napoleon as the Poet Laureate of the new Kingdom of Italy and the year these poems were published, as “Historiographer of the Italian Reign”. His actions have polarized his critics and today his writings are viewed through the lens of politics and his reputation has suffered.
The manuscript letter is a reply to a lawyer and begins, “Your answer, my friend, is not good at all.”. It refers to a legal dispute he calls the Gherardi case, where the adversary is acting as both judge and jury. Monti cites existing law, without being specific, that suggests that the issues have already been adjudicated and the Gherardi case is already settled law. Unfortunately, the recipient of the letter is unknown and specific information about the contents of the letter is fugitive. This may be related to his position as Historiographer or some connection with his responsibilities to the ruling party in Milan at the time.
Rare: OCLC cites two copies in Toronto but none in the US: NUC adds copies at Yale, Washington State and Stanford. Not all copies have both parts as described above.
Ernest Hatch Wilkins. A History of Italian Literature, pp.376-77. Giuseppe Izzi, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, v. 76 (2012). . (Inventory #: 1326)
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