Ciampini - Vetera Monimenta - 1747

MEMORIES OF PALEOCRISTIAN ROME: A UNIQUE TESTIMONY OF MONUMENTS NOW DESTROYED
174 EXTRAORDINARY COPPER-ENGRAVED PLATES
A monumental editorial undertaking dedicated to the memory of Paleochristian Rome, Vetera Monimenta by Giovanni Giustino Ciampini constitutes one of the most important archaeological works ever published between the 17th and 18th centuries. Through an extraordinary iconographic apparatus consisting of 174 figurative copper engravings — many of large format and folded multiple times — basilicas, mosaics, monuments, sarcophagi, inscriptions, liturgical furnishings, and testimonies of ancient Rome’s Christian past are documented, many of which are today altered, restored, or permanently vanished. The copy presented here is a genuine collectible copy, exceptionally fresh, with unusually white paper, deep impressions and plates of extraordinary sharpness, capable of restoring almost intact the original visual impact of one of the greatest editorial undertakings of European archaeology.
WHY TO BUY
One of the fundamental works of Christian archaeology and the monumental history of Rome.
Extraordinary illustrative apparatus with 174 figurative copper engravings, many in large format and folded multiple times.
Documents monuments, mosaics, and works that are today destroyed, altered, or irretrievably lost.
Essential primary source for archaeologists, art historians, liturgical scholars, and scholars of early Christianity.
Magnificent copy with exceptionally white paper, very fresh impressions, and wide margins.

MARKET VALUE
Complete copies in three volumes of the 1747 Roman edition are rarely found on the international antiquarian market. Complete but ordinarily preserved copies are generally offered between €4,000 and €7,000. Particularly fresh copies, complete with all plates, on white paper, in good condition, with well-preserved impressions and quality bindings can reach €8,000-12,000. Exceptional copies for preservation, provenance, or engraving quality may exceed these values.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION – COLLECTOR'S COPY
Three volumes in folio. Contemporary full parchment binding on the first volume with a spine label; volumes II and III uniformly rebound in elegant later parchment with spine labels, red-sprinkled edges. Magnificent copy, especially valued for the freshness of the paper, unusually white and clean. The engravings are printed with notable force, depth, and contrast. Solid and well-preserved bindings, slightly marked by time. Mild occasional browning and minimal signs of use. In old books with a several-century history, a few imperfections may be present and not always noted in the description. Collation: XXXVI, 276, [14]; XVI, 194; XVI, 258 pp. (total 810 pages), supplemented by 171 copper-engraved plates aside from the text, numerous folded plates folded multiple times.

EXTRAORDINARY COPPER-ENGRAVED PLATES
The iconographic apparatus is the heart of the work and is among the most spectacular ever produced for a book on Christian archaeology.
167 copper plates outside the text, many full-page and numerous folded multiple times.
4 copper-engraved plates in the text.
3 vignette engravings at the frontispieces.
Total number of figurative engravings: 174.

The plates depict basilicas, apse mosaics, Constantine-era complexes, mosaic pavements, ciboria, sarcophagi, inscriptions, columns, liturgical furnishings, architectural plans, and monuments of Paleochristian Rome with a level of precision that makes this work a true visual encyclopedia of the origins of Christianity.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Joannis Ciampini Romani Vetera Monimenta, in quibus praecipue Musiva Opera, Sacrarum Profanarumque Aedium Structura, ac nonnulli antiqui Ritus Dissertationibus Iconibusque illustrantur. Prima Pars a primo Christi Saeculo ad Quintum. Secunda Pars a Sexto Christi Saeculo ad Decimum. Cui accedit: De Sacris Aedificiis a Constantino Magno Constructis Synopsis Historica.
Romae, Sumptibus Caroli Giannini, ex Typographia Komarek, 1747.
Ciampini, Giovanni Giustino.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Few works have played as decisive a role in the birth of modern Christian archaeology as Vetera Monimenta. Ciampini was among the first scholars to undertake systematic study of paleochristian monuments through surveys, archaeological comparisons, and highly accurate graphic reproductions. Many of the works depicted in the engravings are today deeply restored, transformed, or completely disappeared; hence the plates constitute irreplaceable documentation for reconstructing Rome in the early centuries of Christianity. The spectacular fold-out plates dedicated to basilica interiors, apse mosaics, and large Constantine-era complexes remain an indispensable primary source for archaeologists, art historians, liturgical scholars, and scholars of Roman topography.

A VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION OF LOST CHRISTIAN ROME
More than a simple antiquarian catalog, Vetera Monimenta is a true graphic reconstruction of ancient Christian Rome. Through hundreds of architectural and decorative details, the reader can observe monuments before the seven- and eight-hundred-year transformations, follow the evolution of the Constantinian basilicas, and compare mosaics, inscriptions, and liturgical arrangements today lost or radically altered. Very few works still allow such a complete reading of the city’s original Christian appearance.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Giovanni Giustino Ciampini (1633-1698) was a Roman archaeologist, ecclesiastical historian, antiquarian, orientalist, and man of science. A collaborator of Queen Christina of Sweden, founder of important learned academies, and member of Europe’s major intellectual networks, he is regarded as one of the fathers of Christian archaeology. His research helped transform the study of antiquities from an antiquarian discipline into a scientific method grounded in direct observation, source comparison, and rigorous graphic documentation.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The early parts of Vetera Monimenta were published in Rome between 1690 and 1699. The 1747 edition represents the definitive collection of Ciampini’s archaeological works and also includes the treatise De Sacris Aedificiis a Constantino Magno Constructis. Printed by the Komarek Typographia for Carlo Giannini, it firmly established the author’s European fame among antiquarians, scholars, and major libraries. The enormous cost required to produce the large copper-plates places this work among the most ambitious Roman editorial productions of the 18th century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Brunet, Manuel du Libraire, II, col. 3.
Graesse, Trésor de Livres Rares et Précieux, II, p. 143.
Ebert, Allgemeines Bibliographisches Lexikon, n. 4245.
Cicognara, Catalogo Ragionato dei Libri d'Arte e d'Antichità, nn. 3671-3673.
Berlin, Ornamentstichsammlung, n. 2677.
Schudt, Le Guide di Roma, p. 138.
Fosdick, Italian Antiquarian Literature of the Seventeenth Century, pp. 211-216.
Olschki, Choix de Livres Anciens, passim.
Getty Research Institute, cataloghi Ciampini.
ICCU / OPAC SBN, edizioni romane del Vetera Monimenta.
WorldCat, bibliographic records of the 1690-1699 and 1747 editions.