AA.VV. - Biblia - 1690

Splendid Baroque Illustrated Bible: Between Clement VIII and Eternity
This Venetian edition of 1690 of the Latin Vulgate Bible represents one of the moments of full maturity of the textual and ideological project elaborated by the Catholic Church in the post-Tridentine period. It is not merely a reprint of Scripture, but the material concretization of a normative text, fixed and made untouchable after the Turmoil of the Reformation. The Sisto-Clementine Vulgate, here adopted, embodies the idea of a stabilized and controlled truth, in which every word is subject to ecclesiastical verification. The iconographic apparatus, broad and narratively developed, transforms the volume into a true visual machine of salvation: the engravings accompany not only the text but interpret it, guide it, render it accessible and at the same time disciplined. Printed in Venice by Nicolò Pezzana, this Bible is the result of a refined synthesis between theological rigor, pedagogical function, and Baroque editorial taste, where typographic magnificence becomes an integral part of the religious experience.
MARKET VALUE
The illustrated Venetian Vulgate Bibles of the 17th century show good market stability, with complete copies in contemporaneous bindings generally ranging from 800 to 1,200 euros, while especially fresh, richly illustrated copies or with significant provenance can reach and sometimes exceed 1,200–1,500 euros, especially if accompanied by well-preserved iconographic apparatus and impactful engraved frontispieces.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Later half-leather binding, spine with raised bands and gilded decorations, signs of wear but very solid structure. Latin text set in two columns, with woodcut initials and numerous textual engravings depicting episodes from the Old Testament, including scenes from Genesis, the historical and wisdom books, characterized by a clear didactic figurative language.
Frontispiece in red and black with a large allegorical copperplate vignette, conceived as a visual synthesis of scriptural authority; presence of additional full-page engraved plates. Physiological browning, typical of 17th-century paper. Pagination: (2); 24 ll.; 998; 52; (2) pp. In ancient books, with a centuries-long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Biblia Sacra Vulgatae Editionis.
Venetiis, apud Nicolaum Pezzana, 1690.
AA.VV.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Sisto-Clementine Vulgate constitutes the culmination of a long process of stabilizing the Latin biblical text, promoted by the Catholic Church in direct response to the doctrinal crisis of the Reformation. The edition promulgated by Sixtus V in 1590, quickly withdrawn for its imperfections, was corrected and definitively fixed under Clement VIII in 1592, giving rise to a text destined to remain normative until the 20th century.
The 1690 Venetian edition fits into this now-established tradition, bearing witness not only to the widespread diffusion of the Vulgate but also to its transformation into a complex editorial object, capable of uniting liturgical function, theological study, and visual fruition. The accessory apparatuses – division into verses, argumenta, typographical organization – reflect a will for clarity and control, while the rich iconographic corpus introduces a parallel narrative dimension, making the text accessible also through vision.
Symbolically, the volume is configured as a total device: the word, now canonized, is no longer only read but also shown, inscribed in a visual system that reinforces its authority. The Bible thus becomes not only sacred text but a tool for formation and discipline of the gaze, in perfect coherence with Baroque culture and with the Church’s post-Tridentine communication strategies.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Not applicable in a single sense, as this is a composite text. The Latin version presented here is the Vulgate, traditionally attributed to Saint Jerome (c. 347–420), a central figure of classical Christian culture, translator and philologist, author of a systematic revision of biblical texts in Latin from the Hebrew and Greek originals. His work formed the basis of the Western biblical tradition for over a millennium.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
After the fixation of the Sisto-Clementine text, the Vulgate experienced extraordinary diffusion throughout Europe, with Venice among the main centers of book production. The workshop of Nicolò Pezzana stood out in the late 17th century for printing religious, legal, and liturgical works, contributing to the circulation of editions that were accessible yet carefully crafted. The illustrated Bibles answered a growing demand from a broad and diverse audience: clergy, scholars, but also educated laypeople, for whom the sacred book became an object of reading, meditation, and visual representation. The combination of official text and iconographic apparatus made these editions particularly effective in the Baroque cultural context, strongly oriented toward persuasion through imagery.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN: record for “Biblia Sacra Vulgatae Editionis, Venetiis, Nicolaus Pezzana, 1690” (collation to be verified on cataloged copies).
WorldCat: records for 17th-century Venetian editions of the Vulgate, Pezzana area.
USTC (Universal Short Title Catalogue): catalogue of European editions of the Latin Bible, 17th century.
Darlow, T. H. – Moule, H. F., Historical Catalogue of Printed Editions of the Holy Scripture, London, 1903, sections on the Latin Vulgate.
Adams, H. M., Catalogue of Books Printed on the Continent, Cambridge, 1967, sections Latin Bible.
British Library, General Catalogue, entries relating to Venetian editions of the Vulgate.
Bibliothèque nationale de France, Catalogue général, sections Bible latine, XVIIe siècle.