Gorgeous contemporary Venetian black morocco ‘Love’ binding, Petrarca, 1550

PETRARCA, Francesco. Il Petrarcha con l’espositione d’Alessandro Vellutello di novo ristampato con le figure a i Triomphi, et con piu cose utili in varii luoghi aggiunte.
Venice: Gabriele Giolito de Ferrari & fratres, 1550

130mm x 150mm

Collation: *3-7 A-2B8 2C1-6: 211 leaves (of 224: lacking *1,2,8 2C7,8, 2D1-8). Roman and italic type. Woodcut initials and illustrations. Incomplete, lacking first 3 leaves and 10 leaves of text, occasional dampstains.

Binding
Contemporary Venetian black morocco gilt (223 x 153 mm), gilt fillet around sides flanked by multiple blind fillets, inner rectangular frame of interlaced double fillets outside this frame gilt fleurons, rosettes, and
floral sprays, inside flame tools, fleurs-de-lys, and another flower, rosettes at points of interlacing, arabesque corner pieces, central elongated cartouche formed by single gilt fillet, containing top and bottom an arabesque tool, and on upper cover 2 gilt figures, inverted, of a man holding a rose, on lower cover a gilt stamp of cupid, motto continuing on front and back covers “QVOD SORS | CONIUNXIT” and “AMOR |
LIGAVIT”, 3 full and 4 half bands, traces of 4 pairs of ties, gilt and gauffered edges. Rebacked with much of original spine laid down.

1550 Giolito edition of the works of the archetypal humanist love poet, in a contemporary venetian binding, bound for presentation as a love token.

Inscriptions
The volume contains a series of inscriptions and sketches on the pastedowns, apparently all in the same ink/hand. At the top of the front pastedown is the inscription “il vetratto dell’ ochio di madona Chiara”
accompanied by a sketch of eyes and (lower down) a male face—a playful reference to Petrarch’s famous declaration in the Canzoniere that he fell in love with Laura through his eyes. The front pastedown also includes the inscriptions “HETTOR PODOCATHARO… M.D.L.V. Decembre” and “MDLV a Di 28 Novembre Ettor scr[itti] qui in casa di ma donna Chiarett a Morati”, with “Clara di Morati” in a cartouche on the lower pastedown.

In a letter to the New York bookdealer Leona Rostenberg (loosely inserted in the present volume), Anthony Hobson identifies the giver of the gift as Ettore Podocataro, who “belonged… to a family of Cypriot origin which had taken refuge in Venice… He was celebrated by Lodovico Domenichi (Facetie, Venice, 1574, p. 459) for living cavallerescamente and for making a noble marriage”. Ettore is recorded as making only one marriage, however, to Margarita, daughter of Count Alvise de Nores, so the exact nature of his relationship with the presumed dedicatee remains a mystery.

Provenance
1. Apparently given as a love token by Ettore P odocataro to Clara di Morati in 1555, with inscriptions and accompanying sketch of eyes and a face to pastedowns
2. Leona Rostenberg (1908-2005), New York-based independent scholar and book dealer, with typed letter signed from Anthony Hobson to Rostenberg, dated 6 March 1975, identifying Podocataro as the owner of the book.
3. Private collection since 1975

References
USTC 762225; Edit16 CNCE 27000

Institutional Copies
Only 1 copy recorded in the UK (Cambridge University).