Serassi - Vita di Torquato Tasso - 1785

TASSO BETWEEN MYTH AND MELANCHOLY: THE AIOGRAPHY THAT TRANSFORMS THE POET INTO A HERO
This important edition of the Life of Torquato Tasso by Pierantonio Serassi represents one of the highest moments of Italian literary biography in the eighteenth century, where erudition, reverence for the author, and the construction of myth blend into a work of broad scope. It is not a simple biographical narrative, but a true cultural operation: Tasso is presented as a tragic yet heroic figure, symbol of the persecuted genius and of the intellectual in tension with power. The illustrative apparatus and the aristocratic dedication place the volume in a context of prestige and representation, while Roman printing confirms its central role in antiquarian and literary culture of the era. The book thus stands as a tool of celebration, but also as a cultivated object destined for a select audience.
MARKET VALUE
Copies of the first Roman edition of 1785 of Serassi’s Life of Tasso generally fetch in a market range between 500 and 700 euros, with higher figures for copies in excellent condition or with well-preserved contemporary bindings. Copies in original parchment, even when imperfect as in the present case, retain good collectible interest, especially for the typography and iconography of the work.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary full parchment binding, spine partly lacking, with exposed structure and visible cords and signs of use. Title page engraved with a copperplate vignette depicting allegorical medallions and a portrait; 3 engraved opening headers of the books and 4 figurate initials. The iconographic apparatus includes portraits and symbolic scenes related to the figure of Tasso and his mythic reception. Pages with some browning and physiological foxing. In old books with a long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 8nn; 614; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
La vita di Torquato Tasso.
Rome, at the Pagliarini Printing House, 1785.
Pierantonio Serassi.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Pierantonio Serassi (1721–1791), abbot and Bergamo-derived scholar, was one of the leading students of Tasso and contributed decisively to the construction of his modern image. His biography fits within the eighteenth-century tradition of rediscovery and canonization of Italian authors, but stands out for its documentary breadth and critical ambition. The work presents a deeply human Tasso: a sublime poet, but also a figure marked by restlessness, instability, and conflict with courts. In this sense, Serassi’s Life anticipates proto-Romantic sensibilities, transforming the poet into an icon of the tension between genius and society. The erudite apparatus, quotes, and documents help to establish a “modern” biography, based on sources and critical interpretation. The volume thus becomes not only a tribute to the poet of Jerusalem Delivered, but also a fundamental text for the history of Italian literary criticism.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Pierantonio Serassi was born in Bergamo in 1721 and was an abbot, scholar, and literary historian. Connected to the cultured Roman circles, he was a member of important academies and distinguished for his studies on Torquato Tasso, contributing decisively to his critical rediscovery. His major work, the Life of Tasso, remains one of the pillars of Italian literary biography. He died in 1791.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The 1785 edition marks the first printing of the Life of Tasso and was produced in Rome by the Stamperia Pagliarini, active in the production of erudite and high-level literary works. The volume sits within the late eighteenth-century cultural climate, marked by renewed interest in national tradition and in the great figures of Italian literature. The work’s diffusion was broad among academic and aristocratic circles, helping to consolidate the Tassian myth in European culture. The presence of simple parchment bindings indicates circulation also in scholarly contexts, in addition to representative settings.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Graesse, Trésor de livres rares et précieux, VI, p. 356 (Serassi).
Melzi, Dizionario di opere anonime e pseudonime, III, p. 245.
ICCU/OPAC SBN: record for the Rome edition, Pagliarini, 1785.
Cataloghi di biblioteche italiane (BNCR, BnF for preserved copies).
Studi su Serassi e la fortuna critica del Tasso nel XVIII secolo.