Estimate € 400 - 600
Sold € 750
Auction: 20 September 2022 at 10:00
DANTE ALIGHIERI (1265-1321) - Ugo FOSCOLO (1778-1827) - Giuseppe MAZZINI (1805-1872) - La Commedia di Dante Alighieri illustrata da Ugo Foscolo. London: Pietro Rolandi, 1842-43. First complete edition of the Commedia edited by Foscolo of which the first volume appeared in 1825 "Discorso sul testo e su le opinioni diverse prevalenti intorno alla storia e alla emendazione critica della Commedia di Dante" printed in London by Pickering. Although the comments on the three canticles were almost ready, the poet's death in 1827 interrupted the project. It was Giuseppe Mazzini, a decade later, who tracked down the autographs to prepare this edition of which he signed the introduction anonymously, introducing himself as "An Italian". 4 volumes, 8vo (215 x 140mm). Portrait of Foscolo as frontispiece, one plate with the facsimile of the poet's calligraphy and a vignette depicting his tomb in the first volume, portrait of Dante and plate with the view of hell in the second, portrait of Dante, plate of purgatory and paradise in the third, two vignettes depicting Dante's tomb in the fourth, all protected by tissue paper (some browning and spotting, occasional light waterstaining, pp. 45-47 in vol. 2 slightly stained). As in the digitized copies in the preface to the first volume the pagination erroneously goes from XXVII to XXX without anything lacking. Contemporary half red half morocco decorated in gilt, blue endpapers (extremities lightly rubbed). (4)
Estimate € 400 - 600