Alciati - Emblemata - 1621

WOMAN WHO DEFECATES IN A GOLDEN VAS w: EMPLEm AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY, OFTEN CENSORED
The famous emblem LXXX, "Adversus naturam peccantes", often missing, censored or removed in numerous successive editions, is present. The famous figure of a woman intent on defecating into a golden vase constitutes a harsh moral condemnation of behaviors regarded as contrary to the natural order. Its presence forms part of one of the most debated iconographic cycles of the entire Alciatian production.
This monumental Padua edition of 1621 represents the pinnacle of the entire Alciato Emblemata editorial tradition, the book that gave rise to European emblematic literature. In addition to the imposing apparatus of comments that makes it the most extensive and studied version of the work, the specimen features one of the most sought-after elements by collectors: With its 212 woodcut emblems and over a thousand pages of scholarly commentary, the volume surpasses the concept of a simple illustrated collection and becomes a true encyclopedia of Renaissance and Baroque symbolism. Real and fantastical animals, mythological figures, historical episodes, moral allegories, and political teachings intertwine in one of the most influential books of modern Europe.

REASONS FOR COLLECTING
* Presence of the famous emblem LXXX, often missing or censored.
* 212 woodcut emblems in the text.
* Vast apparatus of commentary and interpretation.
* Foundational work of the entire European emblematic literature.
* Considered the most complete ancient edition of the Emblemata.

MARKET VALUE
Large illustrated editions of the Emblemata occupy a central position in the market for symbolic and iconographic books. The Padua edition of 1621 is generally regarded as the apex of the Alciatian editorial tradition thanks to the extraordinary richness of the commentary and the breadth of the illustrated corpus. The presence of emblem LXXX, often absent in incomplete copies or censored versions, constitutes a point of particular bibliographic and collectible interest. Complete copies are increasingly sought after by scholars and collectors of iconography, the history of images, and Renaissance culture. Prices generally range from €1,500 to €4,500, with higher results for complete copies with the frontispiece, in antique binding, or with prestigious provenance.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Collation: (4), 80, 1004, (4) pp. 19th/20th-century half brown leather binding with gold-tooled spine; signs of wear. Frontispiece with wood-engraved vignette. Complete with 212 woodcut emblems in the text. Some foxing, physiological browning, stains and sporadic damp halos. Genuine and complete copy of the text and the iconographic corpus. In old books with a long, multi-century history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Andreae Alciati.
Emblemata cum commentariis.
Patavii, Apud Petrum Paulum Tozzium, 1621.
Collation: (4), 80, 1004, (4) pp.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
First published in 1531, the Emblemata created a completely new genre destined to dominate European visual culture for over two centuries. Each emblem combines image, motto, and moral explanation, giving rise to a sophisticated system of symbolic communication. Through these tools, Alciato managed to transform the heritage of classical antiquity into a universal language capable of speaking to princes, religious authorities, scholars, and artists. The 1621 edition represents the culmination of this evolution: the comments greatly expand the original meaning of the images and transform the volume into a true encyclopedia of European humanist culture. The work’s influence extended to painting, sculpture, heraldry, garden design, decorative programs in palaces and churches, and even to moral and political literature.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Andrea Alciato (1492-1550) was born in Alzate Brianza near Como and was one of Europe’s leading humanists of the Renaissance. A jurist of international renown, he taught in Milan, Avignon, Bourges, Bologna, Ferrara, and Pavia. He is considered the founder of humanistic jurisprudence and the creator of the emblematic genre. The Emblemata, initially conceived as erudite exercises, quickly became one of the most reprinted, translated, and imitated books of the entire modern era.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
From the Augusta princeps of 1531, the Emblemata enjoyed extraordinary diffusion, with hundreds of editions published across Europe. The 1621 edition by Pietro Paolo Tozzi is generally regarded as the culmination of this tradition thanks to the enormous expansion of the commentary and the systematic organization of the iconographic material. John Landwehr described it as the most extensively commented version of the work. For its richness of content and critical apparatus it stands as one of the most important editions ever published of the Emblemata.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Landwehr, Emblem and Fable Books Printed in the Low Countries 1542–1813, no. 99.
Praz, Studies in Seventeenth-Century Imagery, pp. 24-38.
Green, Andrea Alciati and the Emblem Tradition.
Daly, Literature in the Light of the Emblem.
Manning, The Emblem.
Adams, A-544.
Brunet, Manuel du Libraire, I, coll. 151-153.
ICCU / OPAC SBN, censimenti dell’edizione padovana del 1621.
WorldCat, international holdings.
Treccani, entry "Alciato, Andrea".
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, references to the European emblematic tradition.
Studi moderni sulla fortuna iconografica e letteraria degli Emblemata tra Rinascimento e Barocco.