Palmieri - Battaglie - 1760

The Legacy of Salvator Rosa in Battle Painting
The martial art of Simonini and Palmieri in a very rare work.
A complete and very rare series of beautiful compositions by two great artists, inspired by Salvator Rosa's painting, showcasing movement, the agility of the bodies, and bold strokes.
A splendid complete suite, entirely devoted to battle painting, one of the most fashionable genres in Italian art of the 17th and 18th centuries, in which Simonini was one of its leading exponents.
Very rare. (See Biblioteca Palatina; Raccolta Bertarelli; Bertelà-Ferrara: *Incisori Bolognesi e Emiliani del ’700*). Vesme cards, III, pp.763-765.
Market value
Very high valuation due to the rarity of the complete series. A copy, not always in perfect condition, is available on the market for 2,800.00 euros. The presence of all 33 plates and the allegorical frontispiece increases its collectible value.

Physical description and condition
Rigid cover bound with a sheet from an ancient antifonary, handwritten title on a label on the front board (slight defects and scratches). Engraved frontispiece depicting the dedicatee, engraved title page and dedication plate, 33 engraved plates, slight browning, foxing, occasional traces of dust. Pages (4); 72 numbered pages (4).

Full title and author
Collection of invented and drawn battles by Francesco Antonio Simonini. Made for the use of painters, engraved and dedicated to the Noble Marquis Carlo Armando Monti.
Bologna, Luigi Guidotti, 1760
Pietro Giacomo Palmieri / Francesco Antonio Simonini

Context and Significance
The work represents one of the most extraordinary collections of engravings dedicated to battle painting, a genre that dominated Italian art between the 17th and 18th centuries. Conceived by the Parmigian painter Francesco Antonio Simonini (1686-1766), one of the most renowned artists in the field, and masterfully engraved in etching by the Bolognese Pietro Giacomo Palmieri (1737-1804), the collection is a celebration of war through art. The volume, extremely rare and very difficult to find complete, contains 33 magnificent plates illustrating scenes of combat between cavalry and infantry, the use of firearms and melee weapons, the transport of artillery, the assembly of cannons, and even moments of troop rest. The entire work is preceded by a sumptuous allegorical frontispiece, a portrait of Carlo Armando Monti, and an engraved dedication page.

This extraordinary collection illustrates one of the most popular genres of baroque art: battle painting. The scenes depict with energy and dynamism cavalry charges, infantry assaults, logistical moments, and pauses of the fighters. Simonini, attentive to the dramatic and theatrical element, constructs his scenes with landscape depth, a brilliant use of color, and a lively narration, influenced by the tradition of the *school of Salvator Rosa*, painter-philosopher who had ennobled the genre with a dark and sublime vision of war. Palmieri's engravings subtly and energetically translate the painterly trait of the master, fully capturing its figurative power.

Biography of the Authors
Pietro Giacomo Palmieri (1737-1804), a cultured and cosmopolitan artist, refined his style in Bologna, Parma, and Paris. Arriving in Turin in 1778, he became the chief draftsman for the Prince of Carignano. Celebrated for his watercolors and drawings, he was also active in the trade of antique sheets. His works are now preserved in prestigious European and American collections.

Francesco Antonio Simonini (Parma, 1686 – Venice or Florence, 1753 or 1755) was one of Italy's most renowned battle painters. A student of Francesco Monti and Ilario Spolverini, he was inspired by Jacques Courtois, known as the Borgognone. He worked in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and Venice, where he received prestigious commissions. His brilliant style, influenced by the Venetian school and Salvator Rosa, is distinguished by the dynamic elegance of the figures and narrative intensity.

Printing history and circulation
Printed in Bologna in 1760 by Luigi Guidotti, the work was conceived as a catalog for painters and collectors. The rarity of complete series is due to the high rate of dispersion and the fragility of the support. Complete specimens are found in very few historical libraries.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Palatine Library; Bertarelli Collection; Bertelà-Ferrara, *Bolognese and Emilian Engravers of the 1700s*; Vesme Cards, III, pp. 763-765.