Seneca - [Incunable] Tragoediae - 1498

The Shadow of the Gods: The Tragedies of Seneca Printed in Venice in 1498
Printed in Venice in 1498 by Giovanni Tacuino, this rare edition of Seneca's Tragoediae represents the only version of the Stoic tragedies to come off his presses. A reprint of the Capcasa edition from 1493, the volume is enriched by the commentaries of Bernardino Marmitta and Daniele Caetani, two central figures of philological humanism. Despite some omissions and restorations, the copy maintains notable historical and bibliographical value, belonging to the final phase of Venetian incunabula printing.
Market value
Rare incunable, appreciated for its theatrical content and for the two humanist commentaries.
Estimate: €4,000 – €7,000, with variability depending on the state of preservation and provenance.

Physical description and condition
Composed of 144 leaves, with the absence of leaf a2, and half of leaf a5. Woodcut initials on a black ground, some of which are illustrated and rubricated in red and blue, printer’s mark at the end. Frontispiece reproduced on contemporary paper; the first two leaves show restorations that have caused the loss of part of the text; the colophon has been lined and restored, two leaves restored without loss of text on the last two leaves before the colophon. Later binding in half-leather, spine decorated with ornaments and title in gold on a raised panel and red edges; signs of wear at the lower cap. (4); 290; (2).

Full title and author
The Tragedies of Seneca with Two Commentaries.
Venice, Giovanni Tacuino, 1498.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, with the comments by Bernardino Marmitta and Daniele Caetani.

Context and Significance
The tragedies of Seneca were fundamental for the revival of Latin theater in the Renaissance. This edition stands out for the inclusion of the commentaries by Marmitta and Caetani, which made the work accessible to the humanist public. Printed in the mature phase of Venetian incunabula scholarship, the edition testifies to the philological and pedagogical attention given to classical texts. Tacuino reprints here the text already published by Capcasa in 1493, consolidating the publishing success of the Senecan tragedies.

Brief biography of the author
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 4 BCE – AD 65) was a Roman philosopher, dramatist, and statesman. His tragedies, inspired by Greek mythology and steeped in Stoicism, had an enormous influence on Renaissance and Baroque theater.
Bernardino Marmitta (1440–1497), a humanist and commentator of classical texts, distinguished himself by his philological rigor.
Daniele Caetani (1461–1528), bishop and scholar, was also active in the Latin exegetical tradition.

Printing history and circulation
Printed on April 7, 1498 by Giovanni Tacuino, a printer active in Venice from the late fifteenth to the early sixteenth century. This is the first and only Senecan edition produced by Tacuino, who reissues the textual apparatus published by Capcasa in 1493. The pairing of the tragedies with the two commentaries makes it an important document of Venetian humanist publishing.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ISTC (Incunabula Short Title Catalogue)
GW (Complete Catalogue of Incunabula)
EDIT16, USTC, WorldCat
BMC V
Goff S-370 (for similar editions)
Sandal, the Venetian incunabulist