Cicerone / Manuzio - De Philosophia - 1546

ALWAYS AND THE DOLPHIN: GUIDE AND ALDIN TRADITION IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RENAISSANCE
Beautiful initials rubricated in red and blue by a modern hand.
The 1546 Venetian edition of Cicero’s philosophical works, printed by Paolo Manuzio, represents one of the most significant moments in the humanist transmission of classical thought during the height of the Renaissance. Published by the direct heir of the Aldine printing tradition, this two-volume collection consolidates the European diffusion of Cicero’s philosophy through philological rigor and the typographic elegance of the Venetian press.
The editorial project fits within the cultural line inaugurated by Aldus Manutius and continued by his son Paol0, who gave particular attention to the publication of Cicero’s works, considered the foundation of humanistic education. The presence of the famous printer’s mark—the anchor and the dolphin—symbol of the publishing house and the motto festina lente—confirms the work’s belonging to the most authoritative typographic tradition of the Renaissance.
These two volumes collect a wide section of the Cicero philosophical corpus, accompanied by scholia and coniecturae by Paolo Manuzio, who philologically intervened on several obscure passages of the text, contributing to the stabilization of the Renaissance textual tradition.
MARKET VALUE
The Aldine editions edited by Paolo Manutius occupy a stable and prestigious position in the market for rare books. Complete two-volume copies of Cicero’s philosophical works printed in 1546 generally sell in a range between 2,000 and 5,000 euros, with possible increases for fresher, more lightly worn, and well-preserved copies.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Two volumes. Later morocco binding with raised bands and decorated compartments in gold; signs of wear; edged in gilt. Aldine woodcut printer’s marks depicting the anchor with the dolphin present on the frontispieces, internal titles and final leaves. Beautiful rubricated initials by a later hand, in red and blue. Presence of ancient marginal manuscript annotations testifying to the reading and scholarly use of the work. Clear, well-inked pages, some physiologic browning typical of sixteenth-century paper. In old books with a long history, a few imperfections not always noted in the description may be present.
Vol. I: pp. (6); 8 nn.; 294; 18 nn.; 112; 64 nn.; (2).
Vol. II: pp. (4); 4 nn.; 426; 32 nn.; (6).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
M. Tullii Ciceronis De Philosophia.
Venetiis, Paulus Manutius Aldi filius, 1546.
Marcus Tullius Cicero.

WORKS INCLUDED IN THE TWO VOLUMES
Volume I
Academicarum quaestionum (libri II)
De finibus bonorum et malorum (libri V)
Tusculanarum quaestionum (libri V)
Volume II
De natura deorum (libri III)
De divinatione (libri II)
De fato (liber I)
De legibus (libri III)
De universitate (liber I)
Q. Ciceronis de petitione consulatus ad Marcum fratrem (liber I)
The volume also includes Paolo Manuzio’s scholia and philological coniecturae on numerous problematic passages of Cicero’s works.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Cicero’s philosophical works formed one of the pillars of European humanistic education. Through his philosophical dialogues, Cicero translated and adapted into Latin the main Greco-philosophical doctrines, making accessible to the Roman world and then the medieval world the reflections of the Academic, Stoic, and Epicurean schools.
In the Renaissance these texts were considered not only philosophical treatises but also supreme models of Latin eloquence. Universities and European humanistic schools used Cicero as a basis for teaching rhetoric, moral philosophy, and classical culture.
The Paolo Manuzio edition is particularly important because it unites the humanistic philological tradition with the editorial precision of Venetian typography. His critical interventions and notes contribute to the understanding of many difficult passages, giving the work a didactic function as well as philological.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Marco Tullio Cicerone (106–43 B.C.), orator, philosopher and Roman statesman, was one of the central figures of the late Republic. Famous for his political and judicial orations, he also played a decisive role in the transmission of Greek philosophy to the Latin world.
His philosophical works, composed mainly in the final years of his life, developed an original synthesis of the main currents of Greek thought. Through dialogues such as De finibus, Tusculanae disputationes and De natura deorum, Cicero contributed to creating the Latin philosophical vocabulary destined to deeply influence medieval and Renaissance philosophy.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The first printed editions of Cicero’s works appeared already in the second half of the fifteenth century, but it was the Aldine workshop that consolidated its systematic diffusion in the humanistic world. Aldus Manutius had already promoted the publication of Latin classics in accurate and readable editions; his son Paolo continued this publishing program dedicating particular attention to Cicero’s works.
The 1546 edition sits in the mature phase of Venetian typography, when the Aldine brand represented one of Europe’s most prestigious publishing marks. These volumes circulated widely in universities and humanistic libraries, contributing to the formation of classical culture in the 16th century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Adams, Catalogue of Books Printed on the Continent of Europe 1501–1600, C 1644.
EDIT16 (CNCE), n. 12270.
USTC, records relating to the Venice edition, Paulus Manutius, 1546.
Renouard, Annales de l’Imprimerie des Alde, pp. dedicated to the production of Paolo Manuzio.
ICCU / OPAC SBN, records relating to the 1546 Venetian edition."