Ovidio - [Incunable] - Metamorphoseos - 1480

Early Incunable - The First Great Adventure Novel in History
Extraordinary incunable of Ovid's Metamorphoses, embellished with marginalia and unusual drawings of herons sketched by an ancient hand in the wide margins, with rubricated letters in red and blue by a later hand. Printed in Parma in 1480 by Andrea Portilia, the first printer active in the city, this copy stands out for the freshness of the page and the elegance of the Latin characters, appreciated since the Quattrocento.
Metamorphoses is here presented in a refined and lively typographic form, evidenced by the tangible interaction of a reader who left a direct visual trace. As a supreme work of myth and transformation, the Ovidian poem also reveals itself in this copy as an object of study, contemplation, and wonder.
Market value
There are currently no documented specimens for sale, and this appears to be the only one auctioned in the last 30 years. The edition is extremely rare and considered among the most elegant productions of the first typographic five-year period in Parma. Its value is enhanced by the presence of ancient annotations and drawings, as well as the good material integrity of the specimen.

Physical description and condition
Half leather binding from the 19th century, pages made of paper from an ancient antiphonary, with titling and gilded decorations on the spine, red edges, embellished with maniculae and unusual drawings of herons traced by an ancient hand in the wide margins, rubricated letters in red and blue by a later hand. Marginal restorations are present on the pages of the first two fascicles, marginally touching the text on the first two pages. Wear to the first and last pages; stains on page k3. Signatures: a⁶ b-q⁸ r¹⁰ s-y⁸ z⁶ &⁶: (1); 188; (1) pages. Chancery Folio, one column of 40 lines. Initial spaces with guiding letters.
Beginning of the page, folio A2r. Wide and consistent margins. A fine copy.

Full title and author
Fables of Ovid's Metamorphoses
Imprint Parmae Opera Et Impensa Andreae Portiliae. M. CCCC LXXX. On the Ides of May, happily reigning, John Galeazzo, most illustrious Duke of Milan.
Publius Ovidius Naso

Context and Significance
The Metamorphoses (Metamorphoseon libri XV) by Ovid are one of the absolute masterpieces of Latin literature and an unparalleled source of Greek and Roman myths. The poem, structured into about 250 episodes of transformation, describes the history of the cosmos from primordial chaos to the apotheosis of Caesar and the celebration of Augustus. The work has the structure and narrative tension of a true adventure novel avant la lettre: a continuous flow of fantastic and surprising stories, woven into a harmonious and coherent construction. Completed just before the poet's exile in 8 AD, it has enjoyed extraordinary fortune over the centuries both in literary and iconographic fields, becoming a reference point for authors such as Dante, Boccaccio, Shakespeare, Ariosto, and D’Annunzio, and for artists from Titian to Bernini. This edition, printed by Andrea Portilia, is one of Parma’s earliest publishing endeavors. Characterized by an elegant and airy composition, it bears witness to the early flowering of humanistic printing in northern Italy. The presence of annotations, marginal notes, and original drawings makes this copy an active document of the sixteenth-century reception of Ovid’s text.

Short biography of the author
Publius Ovidius Naso was born in Sulmona in 43 BC and died in exile in Tomi in 17 or 18 AD. He is considered one of the greatest Latin poets, author of elegiac and mythological works that profoundly influenced European literature. His production is divided into three phases: initially love elegies (Amores, Heroides), then mythological and religious works (Metamorphoses, Fasti), and finally exile texts (Tristia, Epistulae ex Ponto). He also composed now-lost works, such as the tragedy Medea and the Gigantomachy. Loved in life and after death, he was celebrated by authors and artists for centuries. His work was censored and opposed during the Christian era, but it never ceased to circulate in European courts and intellectual centers.

Printing history and circulation
The Metamorphoses were first printed in 1471, with two incunabula: one from Bologna and one from Rome. The Parmese edition of 1480 is among the earliest publications of Italian typography outside the major publishing centers. Andrea Portilia, active in Parma from 1476, is considered the city's first printer. His editions are distinguished by sobriety and elegance, and this Metamorphoses is particularly appreciated for its regular composition and typographic quality. The edition is rare and recorded in a very limited number of copies, often mutilated or in poorer condition than the one described here.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
BP16 106074, Moreau III:1877, Renouard (Colines) 142, Schreiber The Estiennes 338, BMC VII 937, BSB-Ink O-133, GW M28889, Goff O-163, ISTC io00163000, Pellechet 8973, Proctor 7027, IGI 7087, CIBN O-43, Polain (B) 2972, Oates 2561, Hillard 1821, Copinger 7027, Sander 5093, Essling 2602, Klebs 779.3, Walsh 2758