Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

La divina commedia di Dante.

Accession number
PML 152545
Creator
Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321.
Published
Milano : Ulrico Hoepli, 1878.
Credit line
Bequest of Julia P. Wightman, 1994.
Notes
Three miniature volumes (6 cm each) in box case.
Published originally by the Salmin brothers at Padua, 1878.
"L. Busato, corresse"--T.p. verso (v. 1).
Frontispiece, engraving after the Bargello fresco, restored and reversed.
The type for this microscopic edition was cast in 1850, when an attempt was made to set up the Divina commedia. The work was abandoned shortly, but was resumed in 1873. The colophon records the names of those concerned in the work. 1,000 copies were printed and the type destroyed. cf. Cornell Dante catalogue.
"Questi caretteri fusi MDCCCL per commissione di Giacomo Gnocchi di Milano ora si distruggono da poi che per il figlio Giovanni editore nella tipografia patavina alla Minerva dei fratelli Salmin diretta da Gaetano Gianuzzi proto furono adoperati compositore Giuseppe Geche impressore Luigi Baldan su mille esemplari di questa edizione che giusta la fiorentina diamante MDCCCLXIX curante Luigi Busato oggi si compie IX Giugno MDCCCLXXVIII a gloria di Dante."--Colophon, [v.3].
[V. 1] Inferno with original front wrapper bound in; [v.3] Paradiso with original spine and back wrapper bound in. "Vol. Unico" on spine.
Bookseller's description & typewritten letter dated 4-24-61 from the Chiswick Book Shop, NY, and signed Herman Cohen, to Miss Wightman laid in at front.
Exhibition binding, each volume bound in a different historical style by Pétrus Ruban.
"La divina commedia di Dante"--Box case.
Description
3 v. (499 p.) : ill., port. ; 6 cm (case 21 cm)
Provenance
From the library of Julia P. Wightman.
Binding
V. 1 Inferno: full red levant morocco, with green inlays and scrolled leaves. Blue doublures with a field of stemmed roses, faced by embroidered silk. v. 2 Purgatorio: full tan levant, with blue inlays, and a narrow black inlaid border, Grolieresque style. Blue doublures with a field of gold fleurons, faced by embroidered silk. v. 3 Paradiso: full cream levant, with brown and blue inlays, light blue doublures with a field of gold stars, faced by embroidered silk. Bound by P. Ruban; in full red morocco book-shaped box case, on a blue velvet background.
Classification
Department