Petrarca, Francesco (1304-74)

IL PETRARCHA CON L'ESPOSITIONE D'ALESSANDRO VELLUTELLO E CON PIU UTILI COSE IN DIVERSI LUOGHI DI QUELLA NOVISSIMANENTE DA LUI AGGIUNTE

      Venice Bartolomeo Zanetti 1538 Early Venetian printing and the most accurate. Petrarca's portrait at the title-page, fine double-page woodcut map of Valchiusa. 8vo, (mm 210x145), Roman contemporary brown morocco ascribed to the school of Mastro Luigi. Three fillet borders on boards with a decoration of floral tools; very rich central gilt ornamental decorations within multiple gilt tooled panels, borders and decorative pieces. Spine with seven raised bands and compartments decorated with small gilt tools. Edges gauffered gilt. 10 unnumbered leaves, 158 leaves numbered III-160, 44 unnumbered leaves.. A very fine copy, with manuscript notes by two different hands of the middle of the XVIth century, the first giving the epitaph of Francis the First and the second one with the dedication by the Lyonese printer Jean de Tournes to Maurice Sceve. A beautiful and important binding of the Roman School of the period, elaborately decorated and a splendid example of Renaissance book arts. VERY FINE PRINTING IN A LUXURIOUS RENAISSANCE BINDING. The best and most accurate edition of Vellutello's commentary, printed by Zanetti for Alessandro Vellutello and Giovanni Giolito da Trino, that printed himself the following issues of this edition. A very handsome copy enriched by the beautiful binding.