Petrarca, Francesco

Collection of 27 incunabula in one volume (1462 onwards)

      Probably Peter Schöffer, Mainz 1462 Collection of 27 incunabula in one volume. Folio. Vellum. Probably Peter Schöffer, Mainz, earliest from 1462. Contains Epistole, De ignorantia, Itinerarium, De rebus memorandis, Contra medicii, Epitoma Illustrium, Beneuenuti de Rombaldis, Africe libri, De vita solitaria, Trionfi, Testamentum suum, Bucolicum Carmen and other works. Later vellum binding with two straps. Condition of the binding: Good (-) / Condition of the paper: Good (-) / Further remarks: Binding slightly rubbed and scuffed, paper with finger stains, two pages with tears at edges, otherwise a fine copy. Fully rubricated in red and blue and with about 1,500 hand-painted initials and one hand-painted whole-page miniature. With wrong colophon stating 1418 as printing date. The GV as well as the GBLVT agree on at least eight of the works originating from the early working period of Peter Schöffer who edited some of Petrarca's writings in 1460 and 1466. Thus, this volume probably is the first copy of Petrarca's "Opera" in the 15th century, containing most, if not all, of Petrarca's works in the earliest print known. Petrarca (1304-1374) is considered one of the founders of humanism and one of the greatest Italian poets. His "Canzoniere", a collection of 366 poems, among them 317 sonnets, was extraordinary important for European Renaissance poetry in terms of content as well as form ("Petrarchism"). Many of his madrigals have been set to music by numerous famous composers. Still in the 19th century, Franz Liszt composed several pieces for piano using Petrarca's sonnets. As every single work has its own collation, please ask for a detailed collation protocol.