1780 · Firenze
by Soldini, Francesco Maria
Firenze: Nella Stamperia Vanni, e Tofani, 1780. 8vo. 205 x 130 mm., [185 x 135 mm]. CVII, [1] 126 pp. Illustrated with an engraved coat-of-arms printed in blue ink and an engraved dedication leaf printed in black and 16 engraved plates numbered 1-4, 7-10, 12-15, 17, 19, 24-26, & 30 (as called for), together 18 engraved plates printed in blue, red, sepia, and brown inks. Bound in 18th-century decorated boards with leather spine and tips, spine with gilt rulings for panels, red leather label; edges in washed yellow, green silk page marker; binding lightly rubbed at joints. Purple 19th century ink stamp ‘Patr. Batelli’ on the title page. Occasional thumbing and minor staining, otherwise, a very good copy.
Only edition of Francesco Maria Soldini’s homage to the noble families of Florence whose industry and patronage set the stage for the explosion of creativity that was to distinguish Renaissance Florence from the other major cities of Italy. Using the records unearthed in the archive of the Office of Taxation, Soldini wrote a substantial history of the great families of Florence who prospered during the late Middle Ages. He followed this with a list of approximately 5000 names, their titles, and years serving the governing body called Dieci di Balia.
The text is illustrated with an engraved rendering of the coat-of-arms of the Cerchi Family printed in blue ink. It is followed by the engraved dedication to Vieri de’Cerchi, the banker whose support of the Bianchi party resulted in the rise of a new entrepreneurial class that was to forge the future of the city. At the end of the volume there are 16 engraved plates representing the arms of many of the families, as well as full-page engravings of architectural views of Florence. These are printed in either red, blue, and sepia colored ink. The numbering of the plates in this volume seem to be as issued. Copies at the Getty Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Johns Hopkins University, all collate the same.
This work was issued anonymously. The only clue to Soldini’s identity is found in the text of the dedication where the initials ‘P.F.M.S’, for Padre Francesco Maria Soldini are found. He was a Carmelite monk, who studied philosophy at a seminary in Arezzo. He is best known for his works De anima brutorum commentaria (1776) and Il reale giardino di Boboli, Firenze (1789), both works illustrated with plates printed in various color inks.
Melzi: Dizionario di opere anonime e pseudonime I, p. 340. For information on his De anima see D. Euphrat & Leslie Overstreet, “Soldini’s Commentary on the Souls of Animals”, Unbound, Smithsonian Institution blog [open access]. (255637). . (Inventory #: 1352)
Only edition of Francesco Maria Soldini’s homage to the noble families of Florence whose industry and patronage set the stage for the explosion of creativity that was to distinguish Renaissance Florence from the other major cities of Italy. Using the records unearthed in the archive of the Office of Taxation, Soldini wrote a substantial history of the great families of Florence who prospered during the late Middle Ages. He followed this with a list of approximately 5000 names, their titles, and years serving the governing body called Dieci di Balia.
The text is illustrated with an engraved rendering of the coat-of-arms of the Cerchi Family printed in blue ink. It is followed by the engraved dedication to Vieri de’Cerchi, the banker whose support of the Bianchi party resulted in the rise of a new entrepreneurial class that was to forge the future of the city. At the end of the volume there are 16 engraved plates representing the arms of many of the families, as well as full-page engravings of architectural views of Florence. These are printed in either red, blue, and sepia colored ink. The numbering of the plates in this volume seem to be as issued. Copies at the Getty Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Johns Hopkins University, all collate the same.
This work was issued anonymously. The only clue to Soldini’s identity is found in the text of the dedication where the initials ‘P.F.M.S’, for Padre Francesco Maria Soldini are found. He was a Carmelite monk, who studied philosophy at a seminary in Arezzo. He is best known for his works De anima brutorum commentaria (1776) and Il reale giardino di Boboli, Firenze (1789), both works illustrated with plates printed in various color inks.
Melzi: Dizionario di opere anonime e pseudonime I, p. 340. For information on his De anima see D. Euphrat & Leslie Overstreet, “Soldini’s Commentary on the Souls of Animals”, Unbound, Smithsonian Institution blog [open access]. (255637). . (Inventory #: 1352)
(202) 578-4803
