Owner’s wrappers, 28 x 21 cm, printed on laid paper, unpaginated, collated ffl, [A, B]4 C-G4, 2 ffl; total 28 leaves plus 5 engraved plates by Allegrini after Mariotti; engraved title-page (Vercruys after Soderini), head- and tailpieces (Gregori after del Moro) and initials. Owner’s label to front pastedown: Marc Burdin, prêtre.
Title-page (engraved, red and black): IOANNIS BAPTISTAE PASSERI | PISAUREN. NOB. EUGUBINI | DE TRIBUS VASCULIS ETRUSCIS | ENCAUSTICE PICTIS | A CLEMENTE XIIII. | P.O.M. | IN MUSEUM VATICANUM INLATIS | DISSERTATIO. | {VIGNETTE} | FLORENTIAE. MDCCLXXII. | ~ | in Typographia Moückiana. Cum adprobat. ||
Dedication: ANTIQVARIAE. ERVDITIONIS. PROPAGATORI EXIMIO ABSOLVTISSIMAM . HANC. DISSERTATIONEM CLARISS. PASSERII DE . IMAGINIBVS . ET . SYMBOLIS TRIVM . VASORVM . ETRVSCI . OPERIS QVAE PRINCIPIS. NOSTRI.SANCTISS. ET. SAPIENTISS. LARGITATE IN . VATICANVM . MVSEVM A. SE. CVMVLATISSIME . DITATVM INVE CTA . FVERVNT REGINALDVS.COMES.ANSIDAEVS.PATR.PERVS. M. A. CARD. PRONEPOS DEVOTVS. NOMINI . MAIESTATIQVE . EIVS DEMISSISSIME.
Translation: “To the most excellent promoter of antiquities, the most accomplished: This most complete dissertation concerning the images and symbols of three Etruscan vases, which were most abundantly bestowed by our most holy and wise Prince onto the Vatican museum, was composed by the illustrious Passerius. Reginald, Count of Ansidius, true ancestral father, grandson by blood of the Cardinal, devoted most humbly and devoutly to his name and majesty.”
Note: P.O.M. stands for “Papa Optimo Maximo”, which translates to “Father Most Excellent.” For a similar vase in this collection, see VO-0098.
This vase is attributed to Apulia, ca. 330 BCE. Passeri was probably wrong to attribute this type of vessel to Etruscan vase painting, produced from the 7th through the 4th centuries BC.
Contributors:
Giovanni Battista Passeri (Italian, 1694 – 1780) – author.
Francesco Moücke (Italian, fl. 1729 – 1787) – publisher.
Pope Clement XIV [Ganganelli, Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio] (Italian, 1705 – 1774) – dedicatee.
Artists:
Mauro Soderini (Italian, 1704 – after 1751)
Carlo Spiridione Mariotti (Italian, 1726 – 1790)
Lorenzo del Moro (Italian, 1677 – 1735)
Engravers:
Theodor Vercruys [Teodoro Vercruysse] (Dutch, 1678 – 1739)
Francesco Allegrini da Gubbio (Italian, 1587 – 1663)
Carlo Bartolomeo Gregori (Italian, 1702 – 1759)
