Olina - Uccelliera - 1930

THE ART OF CATCHING BIRDS: ORNITHOLOGY HUNTARIUM
This elegant twentieth-century reproduction of Giovanni Pietro Olina’s Uccelliera returns with extraordinary graphical clarity one of the masterpieces of seventeenth-century figurative ornithology, where natural science, hunting practice, and visual culture converge in a work that is as refined as it is ambiguous. The engravings – derived from the models of Antonio Tempesta and Francesco Villamena – are not mere illustrations, but true narrative devices: they show the capture, domestication, and contemplation of the bird, transforming nature into an object of control and wonder. This edition of 1930, edited by Giulio Brighenti, fits into the cultural climate of the early twentieth century that recovers and canonizes the great Italian illustrated books, offering a philological and visually impeccable version.
MARKET VALUE
For this 1930 edition, in good condition and complete, the market generally records values between 400 and 600 euros. The limited print run (numbered series of 114 copies) helps sustain collecting interest.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION - COLLECTOR'S COPY
Contemporary twentieth-century hard parchment binding with title on the spine; signs of use and natural shading on the covers. Printed on fine paper. Frontispiece in red and black within a baroque-styled decorative frame. Numerous black-engraved plates depicting bird species, scenes of capture, and domestic interiors. Pages with physiological foxing. Copy belonging to a limited edition of 114 copies. In old books, with a multi-century history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 20nn; 82; 18nn; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Uccelliera overo discorso della nature e proprietà di diversi uccelli, e in particolare di que’ che cantano, con il modo di prendergli, conoscergli, allevargli e mantenergli.
Bologna, Società Tipografica già Compositori, 1930.
Giovanni Pietro Olina.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The original work by Olina, published in 1622 and later in 1684, represents one of the most important Italian treatises on birds and one of the peaks of Baroque illustrated books. It is not merely a scientific text: it integrates observation, hunting practice, and aristocratic culture of collecting. The engravings construct a true visual grammar of capture and domestication, making the work a precious document on the relationship between humans and nature in the seventeenth century. The 1930 edition fits into the twentieth-century recovery of great Italian figurative books, offering an accurate restitution of the original plates.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Giovanni Pietro Olina (active in the seventeenth century) was a jurist and a scholar of natural sciences. His Uccelliera constitutes his most significant contribution, reflecting an approach that combines empirical observation, bibliographic tradition, and Baroque visual culture.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The first edition appeared in Rome in 1622, followed by an expanded version in 1684, both highly regarded for their iconographic apparatus. The work circulated widely in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The 1930 reprint, in a limited edition, was designed for collectors and scholars, reinforcing the work’s value in the modern antiquarian market.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN: Olina, Uccelliera, editions Rome 1622 and 1684
EDIT16: CNCE 34563
Nissen, Die illustrierten Vogelbücher, n. 699
Sitwell, Fine Bird Books, p. 91
Wood, Introduction to the Literature of Vertebrate Zoology, p. 476
Brunet, Manuel du libraire, s.v. Olina
Graesse, Trésor de livres rares, V, p. 25
British Library Catalogue, Olina entries
BnF Catalogue général, Olina, Uccelliera