Daru - République de Venise - 1826

THE DOGE, THE MACHINE OF FATE, AND THE INSTITUTIONAL MAZE OF THE SERENISSIMA
L’Histoire de la République de Venise by Pierre Daru - represents one of the most ambitious nineteenth-century attempts to interpret the Serenissima not only as a political power but as a sophisticated institutional organism, regulated by complex balances and almost initiatory rituals. Published in Paris in 1826 and here present in the third edition, the work reflects an Enlightenment and rational reading of Venetian history, yet at the same time it reveals its enigmatic side, made of ritualized elections, collegial bodies, and control systems that brush against a symbolic dimension. The folded plate with the diagram of the Doge’s election constitutes an extraordinary visual document: a true “map of power,” where numbers, connections and passages suggest a structure almost esoteric of government.
MARKET VALUE
The Paris editions of Daru, in multiple volumes and in contemporaneous bindings, are fairly present on the market but vary greatly in condition. Complete copies in good condition range from 300 to 700 euros, with peaks up to 900 euros for fresh copies, complete with all folded plates and in well-preserved bindings.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Two volumes: first and third; contemporary half-leather binding with marbled paper boards; smooth spines with gilded titles and ornaments, volume numbers at the foot. Presence of a folded engraved plate depicting the complex system of Doge election (Order of the elections and outcomes), well preserved but with light widespread foxing. Paper with browning and scattered stains. Overall solid structure. In old books with a centuries-long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description.
Pages: 352; 374.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Histoire de la République de Venise
By P. Daru, of the Académie Française
Third edition
In Paris, at Firmin Didot, père et fils, libraires, rue Jacob, no. 24
1826 (M.DCCC.XXVI)

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Daru’s work belongs to the post-Napoleonic historiography context, when Venice, fallen by then, becomes an object of historical and political analysis. Daru, statesman and intellectual, interprets the Republic as a model of stability built on a system of cross-checks and on a complex institutional architecture. The famous procedure for electing the Doge, illustrated in the plate, reveals a mechanism aimed at preventing any form of consolidation of power, through a sequence of draws and elections that transform politics into ritual. This system, seemingly rational, assumes in Daru’s narrative a nearly arcane dimension, as if Venetian power were guarded by a perfect and impenetrable symbolic machine.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Pierre Daru (1767–1829) was a French administrator, historian and politician, member of the Académie française. A collaborator of Napoleon, he held important administrative positions and distinguished himself for his organizational abilities. After the fall of the Empire, he devoted himself to historical studies, producing far-reaching works, including the monumental history of Venice, in which he combines documentary rigor and political vision.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
L’Histoire de la République de Venise was first published in 1819, obtaining immediate diffusion in Europe. The third edition of 1826 testifies to the continued success of the work. Printed by the Didots, one of the most prestigious French printing houses, it benefits from high typographic quality. The work was read both as a historical study and as a political reflection on the functioning of republics.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN: Daru, Histoire de la République de Venise, Paris, Didot, 1826
BnF Catalogue général: Daru, Pierre, Histoire de la République de Venise, éd. 1826
WorldCat: multiple holdings for 1826 edition (Firmin Didot)
Quérard, La France littéraire, vol. II
Hoefer, Nouvelle biographie générale, entry Daru,
Catalogue Firmin Didot archives, references to historical editions