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Engraved title-page 1, as per British Museum: An architectural setting with, at upper centre, a portrait of Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy, in an ornate cartouche lettered “"Spectandus Certamine Martio"; a central title “LA | GERUSALEMME | DI | TORQUATO | TASSO | FUGURATA A | DA BERNARDO CASTELLO | A | CARLO EMANUELLO | DVCA DI SAVOIA” flanked by Tuscan columns and crests with mottos and imprese showing compasses lettered "Dvm Premor Amplior", at left, and a crossed sword and sceptre with a crown lettered "Illaesa Super Sunt", at right; in the lower register, male and female figures in armour, perhaps representing Tancredi and Clorinda, with a central crest showing an impresa of armour”. Central title: Below, within frame: "In Genova, Appresso Giuseppe Pavoni. […] Con licenza de' Superiori. MDCXVII." Engraved title-page 2, as per British Museum: Portrait of Torquato Tasso, bust, facing front, wearing a laurel crown; within an oval pendant, lettered “TOROVATO […] TASSO EF”, suspended from a pediment, beneath which a view of Genoa is flanked by two columns, and above is a tablet, lettered: “LA GERUSALEMME | LIBERATA | DI TORQUATO | TASSO. | Con le annotazioni | di Scipion | Gentili, e di Givlio | Guastauini , | Et li argomenti di Oratio Ariosti , | STAMPATA | Per Giuseppe Pauoni ad instanza di | Bernardo Castello,in Genova | L’Anno MDCXVII." Collation: 8vo; 2 leaves of engraved title-pages, 1 leaf signed †2, 1 leaf unsigned, 2 leaves signed †† and ††2, respectively, 1 leaf unsigned, 1 leaf with engraving to verso (frontispiece to Canto Primo) —> 8 prelims (besides FEP or a blank leaf before 1st t.p.); π8 A-Q8 (pp. 1-255 [256 blank], plated within collation), G1, I1, K1, O1, and P1 (recto to plates without text) unsigned, L3 signed as second L2; A-D8 E4 (pp. 1-71 [72]; A-B8 C4 χ1 (pp. [1] 2-36 [37-40] [2]), in the 4-leaf quires E and C only two first leaves signed, in the 8-leaf quires four first leaves signed. Illustrations: woodcut head- and tail-pieces, woodcut initials, some historiated, and 20 plates within collation and pagination engraved by Camillo Cungio after Bernardo Castello. Binding: 30.5 x 21.4 cm overall, 30 x 20.5 cm leaves; contemporary vellum, rebacked with modern brown morocco, crimson morocco label with gilt lettering and double-fillet outline. Two bookplates to front pastedown: (1) Chippendale armorial bookplate (8.3 x 7.6 cm): Thos. Brand Esqr. Signed: W Austin — Fecit; (2) The Robin Collection bookplate. Bookseller’s ticket to back pastedown: “J. POOLE. | British & foreign | BOOKSELLER, | 39 BOOKSELLERS ROW, | STRAND |〰️| Books Bought.” All edges green. Provenance: The Robin Collection; Thomas Brand Hollis (British, 1719 – 1804). Contributors: Torquato Tasso (Italian, 1544 –1595) – author. Scipione Gentili [Scipio Gentilis] (Italian, 1563 – 1616) – author. Giulio Guastavini (Italian, fl. 16th century) – author. Bernardo Castello [Castelli] (Italian, 1557 – 1629) – artist. Camillo Cungi (Italian, fl. 1597 – 1649) – engraver. Giuseppe Pavoni (Italian, 1551 – c. 1641) – printer, publisher. Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy (Italian, 1562 – 1630) – dedicatee. -
Title page (in red and black): LA | GERUSALEMME | LIBERATA | DI TORQUATO TASSO | Con la Vita del medesimo , Allegoria del Poema , Argomenti incisi | ne’Rami del Tempesta , ed Indice di tutti i Nomi proprj , | e Materie principali contenute nell’Opera ; | e con le Annotazioni | DI SCIPIONE GENTILI | E DI | GIULIO GUASTAVINI. | A Sua Eccellenza il SIGNOR | D. ORAZIO ALBANI | Principe di Soriano, &c. | {printer’s device} | URBINO, MDCCXXXV. | — | Nella Stamperia della Venerabile Cappella del SS. SAGRAMENTO per Girolamo Mainardi | Stampator Camerale a sue proprie spese . Si vendono dal medesimo in Roma | nella sua Libraria all’insegna di S. Crescentino, e nella Stamperia Camerale | CON LICENZA DE SUPERIORI. || Half-title: Title page: IL | GOFFREDO | OVVERO | LA GERUSALEMME | LIBERATA | DI | TORQUATO TASSO. || Collation: 4to; [2] blank leaves, [1] – h.t. / blank, [1] – t.p. / blank, [1] – dedication signed *2, [2] – vita, 1st signed *3, [2] – allegoria, [3] – indice, first two signed ** and **2, respectively, [1] – frontispiece to Canto Primo —> total 13 prelims; π13 (incl. 2 blanks), A-Z4 Aa-Bb4 Cc6 Dd-Qq4, χ1 (blank); 20 engraved frontispieces, one headpiece and initials, some historiated. Frontis. to Cantos II-XX incl. in collation and pagination; the number of leaves from A1 to Qq4 = 158; pagination: 1-316. The total number of leaves incl. prelims and blanks = 172. Note: three first leaves in the Cc quire of six leaves are signed; all other four-leaf quires only have the first two first leaves signed. Frontispiece to Canto Quarto cut down and laid down on D2v (as in Christie’s copy sold on 6 Jun 2010 – Live Auction 5475 – Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts, lot 168, price realized GBP 600). Illustrations: Frontispiece to Canto Primo signed “Arnoldo van Westerhout formis Roma”. Headpiece to Canto Primo signed “Eq. Petrus Leo Ghezius Inu. et. delin. — Frãn. Aquila incid.” Other plates unsigned but all attributed to Westerhout after Antonio Tempesta; Numeration of frontispieces in roman numbers, IIII for VI, VIIII for IX, XIIII for XIV, inverted numbers XVII, XVIII, and XIX, respectively: IIVX, IIIVX, and IIIIVX. Binding: 35 x 24 cm, 34 x 23 cm leaves, contemporary calf, rebacked retaining original spine, verso front flyleaf stamped “RESTORED BY MACDONALD CO. | NORWALK. CONN. Marbled endpapers, all edges red. Speckled calf, gilt triple-fillet borders, with remnants of blind-stamped and gilt design to an upper inside corner, spine with raised bands, gilt acorn tooling in compartments, later crimson label with gilt lettering. Damp staining to inside edges affecting all leaves. The Robin Collection bookplate to front pastedown. Provenance: The Robin Collection. Contributors: Torquato Tasso (Italian, 1544 –1595) – author. Scipione Gentili [Scipio Gentilis] (Italian, 1563 – 1616) Giulio Guastavini (Italian, fl. 16th century) Antonio Tempesta [Tempestino] (Italian, 1555 – 1630) – artist. Arnold [Arnoldo] van Westerhout (Flemish, 1651 – 1725) – artist, engraver. Pier Leone Ghezzi (Italian, 1674 – 1755) – artist. Francesco Faraone Aquila (Italian, c. 1676 – c. 1740) – engraver. Girolamo Mainardi (Italian, c. 1679 circa – 1763) – printer, publisher. Orazio Albani (Italian, 1576 – 1653) – dedicatee. -
Engraved title with the portrait of Torquato Tasso, displayed in an oval medallion, bound in “TORQUATO TASSO”, between two naked putti; Architecture with two columns and Ionic capitals supporting an architectural pediment; between the columns is a table with the inscription: LA GIERVSALEMME | LIBERATA | DI TORQVATO TASSO | Con le Figure di Bernardo | CASTELLO; | E le Annotazioni di Scipio | GENTILI, e di Giulio | GVASTAVINI. | IN GENOVA. M.D.LXXXX .|| Contents: The 20 cantos are followed by: Tutte le stanza intere, che dall'autore sono state refiutate in questo libro; Annotationi di Scipio Gentili; Luoghi osservati dal mag. Giulio Guastavini, quali il Tasso nella sua Gierusalemme hà presi & imitati da poeti & altri scrittori antichi; Allegoria del poema; Tavola di tutti i nomi proprii et di tutte le materie principali contenute nel presente libro. Pagination: [2] engraved t.p. / blank, 3-11, [1] 2-255 [256], 1-71 [72] [1] 2-40, 4 unpag. leaves ‘Allegoria del poema’; total 387 pp. Collation: 8vo; π6 A-Q8 A-D8 E4 A-B8 χ4 (in the first quire M4 marked L4), ills. signed in collation. At p. 17 canto 3rd marked as 2nd, pp. 135 and 139 in 12th canto marked as 11th. Binding: later full polished calf, blind double-ruled covers, blind double-ruled raised bands, gilt lettering: GIERVSALEMME | LIBERATA and GENOVA | 1590. TMG. Printed on laid paper. Front joints split at head and tail. Title page and twenty full-page ill. facing the opening of each canto, engraved by Agostino Carracci and Giacomo Franco after Castello. Those for cantos 6-8, 10, 12, 16-17, 19-20 are by Carracci, 8 and 19 with his initials. The remainder are by Franco and are signed by him. Woodcut head and tailpieces, the Argomenti at the head of each canto within cartouches, initials. Catalogue raisonné: Adam Bartsch. Le peintre graveur. — Vienne: J. V. Degen, 1803.Author: Written by Torquato Tasso (Italian, Sorrento 1544–1595 Rome)
Designer: Illustrations designed by Bernardo Castello (Italian, Genoa (?) 1557–1629 Genoa)
Engraver: Illustrations engraved by Agostino Carracci (Italian, Bologna 1557–1602 Parma)
Engraver: Illustrations engraved by Giacomo Franco (Italian, Venice 1550–1620 Venice)
Publisher: Published by Girolamo Bartoli , Genoa
Ref.: MET, HathiTrust,
