Il decamerone (Ed. L. Dolce). Venice, Gabriele Giolito de' Ferrari and brothers, 1552.
Boccaccio, Giovanni, 1313-1375. Il decamerone (Ed. L. Dolce). 4† in 8's. Venice, Gabriele Giolito de' Ferrari and brothers, 1552. Typ 525.04.223F, Department of Printing and Graphic Arts, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library.
21.5 x 14.5 cm. Red morocco, extra, g.e., by F. Bedford, with plate of Robert Hoe. (Gift of Philip Hofer.)
Bibliographical description of edition
Giolito's large phoenix device on the title-page, enclosing the imprint in a cartouche at the foot. Medallion portrait of Boccaccio, 93 x 71 mm., on the verso of leaf *6 above Dolce's sonnet in praise of Boccaccio. [...] Forty woodcuts (including four repetitions) from four different sets. The ten blocks, approximately 60 x 100 mm., one at the head of each day, were designed for Giolito's 1546 edition, and show the life of the company in the country. [...] In this 1552 edition, he adds the blocks for the third through the tenth day from his 1542 edition [...]. These are scenes from the tales themselves, the subjects selected by Melchiorre Sessa for his 1531 edition [..]. Another group of blocks is from a set designed for Lodovico Dolce's translation of Ovid, borrowed for the Boccaccio before the Ovid was published in 1553 [...]. The fourth source is a set of Bible cuts. Other blocks from this same Bible set are found in the 1553 Ovid. Giolito's blocks were transferred to Francesco Marcolini, who used the eight 1542 blocks and the ten 1546 blocks in a 1554 Venice edition of Le cento novelle, a verse adaptation of Boccaccio by Vincenzo Brusantini. [...] Leaf AAAIr of this 1552 edition is a special title page for the appended "Dichiaratione . . . di tvtti i vocaboli . . ." of Francesco Sansovino, with a Giolito device containing an imprint partly xylographic and partly set in type [...]. Historiated initials in three sizes. A third Giolito phoenix device [...] on leaf DDD6v. Italic letter, small roman marginalia.
One of two 1552 editions by Giolito. He printed a duodecimo edition in the same year [...]. These 1552 editions contain Dolce's address to the reader in which he attacks printers and proofreaders, and other editors of Boccaccio (quarto, leaves *3-*4). In criticizing the 1516 Decamerone [...], he reprints the "Boccaccio" address. His condemnation covers Girolamo Ruscelli's edition, then at press [...]. This Giolito edition has one line of errata on leaf DDD5v. (Italian 16th century books, v. 1, pp. 100-101).
Images
Note: in the following bibliographical descriptions, the long 's' is represented by an italic f (f). Where confusion may arise between 's' and 'f', the word has been transcribed in square brackets.
small image (84kb)
large image (537kb)
[Page *ia] Title page. IL DECAMERONE | DI M. GIOVANNI | BOCCACCIO. | NVOVAMENTE ALLA SUA VERA | LETTIONE RIDOTTO. | CON TUTTE QVELLE ALLEGORIE, ANNOTA- | cioni , e tauole , che nelle altre noÉtre impreþioni Éi conten- | gono ; e di piu ornato di molte figure . | AGGIVNTOVI SEPARATAMENTE VN'INDICE | copioÉiÉimo d'i uocaboli e delle materie compoÉto | da MeÉÉer Lodouico Dolce . | [device] | CON GRATIA ET PRIVILEGIO. | [imprint of Giolito publishing house, with publication details in frame: IN VINEGIA APPRESSO GABRIEL | GIOLITO DE FERRARI , ET | FRATELLI. M D L I I.]
small image (85kb)
large image (465kb)
Page *iia: Dedication: ALLA ILLVSTRISS. ET | ECCELLENTISS. SIGNORA LA | DELFINA DI FRANCIA. | [device] | GABRIEL GIOLITO DE FERRARI. Large illuminated initial letter E with mythological scene; signature * ii at bottom right.
small image (79kb)
large image (431kb)
[Page *iib]: Dedication, continued.
small image (64kb)
large image (425kb)
[Page *vib]. Portrait of Boccaccio in left-facing profile, wearing laurel wreath, entitled 'IL BOCCACCIO'. Subtitle: 'SONETTO DI M. LODOVICO | DOLCE IN LODE DI M. GIO- | VANNI BOCCACCIO. | [device] | Tu, che Éolo fra noi Spirto Diuino | Ci dimoÉtri con proÉa ornata & bella , | Quanto ne la natia noÉtra fauella | si poÉÉa a quel d'Harpin poggiar uicino : | Scorgi altrui per drittiþimo camino | A chiaro honor d'immortal gloria , a quella | Onde piu uiuo ogn'hor Éi rinouella | Il nome , che non ha meta o confino . | TeÉÉe a concetti Éuoi mirabil tela | Chi coglie il bel de le tue dotte carte , | Oue Éomma eloquentia ha frutti & fiori . | Et chi da l'orme tue folle Éi parte; | Fra nebbie inuolto di perpetui errori, | Se ÉteÉÉo oÉcuro al fin naÉconde & cela.
small image (89kb)
large image (478kb)
Page 1 (Aa): Subtitle: IL DECAMERONE DI M. | GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO , DA LVI STESSO | INTITOLATO PRENCIPE GALEOTTO. | NEL QUALE SI CONTENGONO CENTO | NOVELLE, DA SETTE DONNE, ET DA TRE | GIOVANI IN DIECI GIORNI | RACCONTATE. | [device] | PROEMIO .; large illuminated initial letter H, showing several people in a small boat; inner margin lettered E-H; outer margin contains glosses and variants to the text; main text set in italic; glosses set in roman; signature swash A at bottom right.
small image (86kb)
large image (507kb)
Page 5 (A3a): Day I title-page: DEL DECAMERONE | DI M. GIOVANNI | BOCCACCIO | GIORNATA PRIMA. | NELLA QVALE DOPO LA | DIMOSTRAZIONE FATTA DALL'AVTORE, PERCHE CAGIONE | auueniÉÉe di douerÉi quelle perÉone,che appreÉÉo Éi dimo- | Étrano , ragunare a ragionare inÉieme , | SOTTO IL REGGIMENTO DI PAMPINEA | Éi ragiona di quello , che piu aggrada | a ciaÉcheduno. | [device]; woodcut showing feast in arcade; large illuminated initial capital letter Q, showing knight on charger.
small image (82kb)
large image (490kb)
Page 26 (B5b): headed GIORNATA (from the running title reading across both pages of the opening: GIORNATA PRIMA); rubric to the second novella of the First Day: ABRAAM GIVDEO DA GIANNOTTO DI CIVIGNI | Étimolato , ua in corte di Roma , * & uedendo la malvagitý de' cherici, | torna a Parigi , & faþi Christiano . Novella I I.; woodcut of kneeling man (a king?) being baptized; additional moralizing rubric: Nel che Éi contiene la benignitý d'Iddio uerÉo la | Religione Christiana .; large illuminated initial letter L, showing two men fighting with long swords; outer margin contains glosses to the text; inner margin lettered A-D; catchword 'opere'.
small image (83kb)
large image (513kb)
Page 34 (Cb): headed GIORNATA (from the running title reading across both pages of the opening: GIORNATA PRIMA); rubric to the fifth novella of the First Day: LA MARCHESANA DI MONFERRATO CON VN | conuito di galline,& con alquante leggiadre parolette * riprende il fol- | le amore del Re di Francia. Nouella V. | Woodcut of four figures seated at a table; additional moralizing rubric: Nel che Éi contiene ,che le Éavie & ualoroÉe Donne hanno piu cara la loro castitý , che i theÉo | ri & le grandezze d'i Prencipi : & e che un prudente Signore dee Éempre eÉÉer mode- | ratiþimo in tutte le Éue attioni, e maþimamente nelle trame di amore ; | ilquale ÉpeÉÉe uolte Ë cagione di roine & di morti .; large illuminated initial letter L, showing two men fighting with long swords; outer margin contains glosses to the text; inner margin lettered A-D; catchword 'mano'.
All images are reproduced with the permission of the Houghton Library of the Harvard College Library.