Equicola - Natura d’Amore - 1607

Love Explained to the Literati: The Renaissance Puts Order in Eros
Mario Equicola's 'Il Di Natura d’Amore' is one of the most representative texts of Renaissance love treatises, serving as a meeting point between Platonic philosophy, courtly culture, and humanist morality. Conceived as a systematic reflection on the nature of love, Equicola's pages order passions, desires, and affections according to a rational hierarchy, opposing the disintegrating force of eros with a regulated, cultured, and civil view of the sentiment. The work, aimed at an aristocratic and literary audience, testifies to the Renaissance attempt to transform love from a natural impulse into an intellectual and social experience.
Market value
The sixteenth-century Venetian editions of 'Di Natura d’Amore' generally range in the antiquarian market between 800 and 1,500 euros, with valuations influenced by the condition of the binding, the freshness of the pages, and the typographical completeness.

Physical description and condition
Next-era binding in half leather with crocodile imitation and cloth, with a gold title within a label on the spine; partially detached binding from the volume's body. The volume features a woodcut ornament on the title page. Pages with some browning. In old books, with a multi-century history, some imperfections may be present that are not always noted in the description. Pp. 60nn; 636; (2).

Full title and author
Of the Nature of Love
Venice, following Gio. Battista Bonfadino, 1607.
Mario Equicola

Context and Significance
Originally written in the first half of the sixteenth century, 'De Natura d’Amore' fits into the great tradition of love dialogues and treatises that, from Ficino to Castiglione, seek to reconcile eros and reason. Equicola, a court intellectual linked to the Mantuan environment of the Gonzaga family, interprets love as an educational and ordering force, reflecting the moral and social control needs typical of Renaissance courts. The work was widely successful and reprinted numerous times, becoming a stable reference in love literature until the seventeenth century.

Biography of the Author
Mario Equicola was born in Alveto around 1470 and died in 1525. A humanist, historian, and man of the court, he served as secretary and advisor to the Gonzaga in Mantua. A prolific author, he distinguished himself by his ability to fuse classical scholarship, moral philosophy, and observation of contemporary customs.

Printing history and circulation
The Venetian edition of 1607 testifies to the long-lasting editorial legacy of the treatise, which was reprinted several times over the decades following its composition. The twelfth format favored broad dissemination and personal use, making the text accessible to an educated audience but not exclusively academic.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Brunet, J.-C., Manual for booksellers and book lovers.
Cox, V., The Renaissance Dialogue.
Firpo, M., Culture and Society in the Italian Renaissance.