Grazzini - La Spiritata. Comedia - 1582

A Renaissance comedy of high linguistic and dramaturgical quality, in which Grazzini, through intrigues, masquerades, and feigned obsession, creates a satirical and lively picture of the urban society of the 16th century.

Publisher: Venetia, published by Bernardo Giunti and Brothers, 1582. 64 pages. Later, very attractive half-maroquin binding with marbled covers; gold-stamped spine title. Featuring a large typographic title vignette (Giunti printer's mark). 16 x 10 cm.

Rare Venetian edition of one of the most famous comedies by the Florentine humanist and scholar Antonfrancesco Grazzini, known as Il Lasca, a central figure in the literary culture of the Cinquecento. La Spiritata is among the most successful plays of Italian Renaissance comedy and combines elements of learned comedy with lively everyday language, burlesque humor, and sharp social observation.

The play unfolds a complex plot involving deception, feigned obsession, love intrigues, and social role-playing, while sharply reflecting contemporary Florence's moral values, gender roles, and urban lifestyles. Grazzini's virtuosity in dialogue and his sense of dramatic situational comedy made La Spiritata a frequently performed and widely circulated stage work as early as the 16th century.

Very well-preserved specimen with evenly browned paper and clear printing. The later binding is tasteful and solid; an attractive and collectible piece of Italian Renaissance literature.