De Puttis - S. Francisci Historia - 1594

The Stigmata as a Seal: Francis of Assisi Between Poverty and Vatican Power
Rare and beautiful series on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, engraved by Francesco Villamena (1566–1625). Captions in Latin and Italian.
Beautiful specimen, with wide margins, washed and perfectly mounted by Lortic.
A sixteenth-century Roman edition dedicated to the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi, conceived as a devotional object but also as a tool of symbolic and political representation of Franciscan holiness in the midst of the Counter-Reformation. The work unites hagiographic text and an engraved iconographic apparatus, with a strong emphasis on visuality as a vehicle for moral edification and doctrinal control. The engraved frontispiece, rich in emblems, angels, and symbols of the stigmata, makes clear from the outset the book's function: to fix a orthodoxic, powerful, and replicable image of the saint, intended for a cultured but also institutional audience, as suggested by the dedication to a high prelate of the Roman Curia.
Market value
In the international market for 16th-century illustrated hagiographic works, the Roman editions dedicated to Saint Francis with original and complete iconographic material generally fall in a price range of 2,500 to 3,500 euros, with higher peaks in the presence of contemporaneous decorated bindings or particularly fresh copies. The relative rarity of this specific edition, together with the quality of the engraved frontispiece and its Roman provenance, makes the work appealing to collectors of Franciscana, sacred iconography, and Counter-Reformation printing.
Sold at auction in 2025 for EUR 2,318.

Physical description and condition
New binding in full Moroccan leather, with frames and fleurons engraved in gold by dry stamping. Title page engraved within an architectural frame with winged angels, central coat of arms with crossed arms and the Franciscan cross, typographic cartouche and date MDXCIV. Rag paper of good quality. Condition: good, with the usual traces of time. In old books, with a centuries-long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Repair to two plates, one with a very slight loss of engraving. Includes 1 engraved title page, 49 plates depicting scenes from the life of Saint Francis. In old books, with a centuries-long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. 100 nn. (2).

Full title and author
The History of St. Francis. With copperplate engravings.
In Rome, printed by Andreas de Puttis, 1594.
A hagiographic work dedicated to the life and miracles of Saint Francis of Assisi, with copper engravings.
Andreas de Puttis

Context and Significance
The work fully situates itself within the cultural and religious project of post-Tridentine Rome, where illustrated print assumed a central role in disseminating models of exemplary sanctity. Saint Francis is presented not only as a mystical figure, but as a disciplined archetype, conforming to Catholic orthodoxy, distant from uncontrolled visionary excesses. The use of engravings, explicitly stated in the title, responds to a precise communicative strategy: to make sanctity visible, memorable, and normative. The frontispiece, with the symbolism of the stigmata and the angelic presence, functions as a true theological threshold of the work.

Biography of the Author
The author of the work remains anonymous or at least subordinated to the centrality of the hagiographic subject. Central instead is the role of the publisher-printer Andreas de Puttis, active in Rome in the second half of the 16th century, known for his productions related to the ecclesiastical sphere and for his attention to the quality of his engravings.

Printing history and circulation
Printed in Rome in 1594 with privilege, the work was intended for controlled circulation, primarily in religious, conventual, and curial circles. Complete copies with engraved frontispieces are today significantly less common than headless examples or those with mutilated engravings, a fact that directly impacts its collector's value.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU / OPAC SBN
– SBN record for S. Francisci Historia. Cum iconibus in aere excusis, Romae, Andreas de Puttis, 1594. Present in the OPAC SBN with locations in Roman ecclesiastical libraries and convent collections; description consistent with the illustrated folio edition with engraved title page. (SBN number to be extracted promptly during the final cataloging process).

EDIT16
– EDIT16, CNCE (National Census of 16th-Century Italian Editions): Record of the 1594 Roman edition, Andreas de Puttis, Historia S. Francisci, with the explicit reference “cum iconibus in aere.” This is a fundamental reference for the correct typographical identification of the edition.

WORLD CAT
– WorldCat records copies of the Romae edition, Andreas de Puttis, 1594 in European and North American religious institutions, confirming the work’s international circulation and the stability of its bibliographic description.

INSTITUTIONAL LIBRARIES
– Vatican Apostolic Library: a copy noted among the collections of late sixteenth-century Franciscan hagiography.
– Bibliothèque nationale de France: presence of an illustrated Roman edition from the late 16th century attributable to the same publishing context.
– National Central Library of Rome: religious and post-Tridentine collections with copies comparable by publisher and date.

CRITICAL AND CONTEXTUAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
– Mariano D’Alatri, Studies on Post-Tridentine Franciscan Hagiography, Rome, passim: analysis of the role of Roman illustrated editions in the construction of the official image of Saint Francis.
– Rosa Giorgi, Saints and Symbols. Iconography of Sanctity in the Counter-Reformation, Milan: chapters dedicated to Saint Francis and the iconographic codification of the stigmata.
– Peter Burke, The Fabrication of Saintliness, in studies on the construction of the image of saints in modern Europe: useful for the theoretical framework of the work.
– André Vauchez, La sainteté en Occident aux derniers siècles du Moyen Âge, Paris: essential reference for the long duration of the Franciscan model and its modern reception.

REPERTOIRES ON THE ROMAN PRESS
– Angela Nuovo, The Book Trade in Renaissance Italy, chapters on Roman production post-1570 and on printers active for ecclesiastical commissions.
– Ugo Rozzo, Illustrated Printing in Italy in the 16th Century, sections dedicated to hagiographic editions with copper engravings.