GIannotti - Republica de Vinitiani - 1542

THE POLITICAL MYTH THAT ENCHANTED EUROPE: ANATOMY OF AN IMMORTAL REPUBLIC
Rare sixteenth-century edition of the famous political treatise by Donato Giannotti dedicated to the ordering of the Republic of Venice, one of the fundamental works of European constitutional thought. Written by one of the major political theorists of the Italian Renaissance, deeply influenced by Niccolò Machiavelli and Florentine republican ideals, the Libro de la Republica de Vinitiani represents the first great systematic study of Venetian institutions. Through a rigorous analysis of the functioning of the magistracies, the Great Council, the Senate, and the Council of Ten, Giannotti explains the reasons for the extraordinary stability of the Serenissima, turning it into the paradigm of mixed government that would influence European political thought for more than two centuries. Printed in Rome in 1542 by Antonio Blado, one of the most prestigious chamber printers of the sixteenth century, this edition constitutes a fundamental testimony of Renaissance political reflection. The exemplar preserves a pleasant binding from the early twentieth century that effectively protects the volume.
WHY TO BUY
One of the foundational works of Renaissance political theory.
Among the first systematic studies on the constitution of the Republic of Venice.
Text closely linked to the political tradition of Machiavelli and Florentine republicanism.
Edition printed by Antonio Blado, one of the major Italian printers of the Sixteenth Century.
Work that contributed to the birth of the famous "Myth of Venice", destined to influence European political thought until the Enlightenment.

MARKET VALUE
Original editions of Libro de la Republica de Vinitiani are sought after by scholars of Venetian political history as well as by collectors of Machiavellian and republican texts. Complete and well-preserved copies rarely appear on the international market and can command prices ranging from €1,500 to €4,000, with higher results for copies of particular provenance or preserved in contemporary bindings. The 1542 Roman edition by Antonio Blado represents one of the most important typographic testimonies of the diffusion of Italian political thought in the sixteenth century.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Solid half-leather binding from the early twentieth century with decorated covers, unglazed spine. Rare and light scattered foxing. Good exemplar, complete and firmly bound. Complete work in accordance with the original print run of 100 quires. Leaves 99, [1]. In old books, with a multi-century history, a few imperfections may be present that are not always noted in the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Donato Giannotti.
Libro de la Republica de Vinitiani.
Rome, Antonio Blado, 1542.
Finis: Rome, per Antonio Blado Asolano, 1542.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Few books have contributed as much as this work to the construction of the so-called "Myth of Venice". In the midst of the Italian Wars and the deep crises that struck the States of the peninsula, the Serenissima appeared to European observers as an extraordinary exception: a State capable of maintaining institutional continuity, economic prosperity, and political stability through a complex balance among aristocracy, magistracies, and reciprocal control of powers. Giannotti describes with exceptional precision the functioning of the Venetian constitutional organs, offering one of the most thorough analyses of mixed government produced in the Renaissance. The work quickly became an indispensable reference for jurists, diplomats, and political theorists, helping to spread the image of Venice as an ideal model of republican government.

THE BOOK THAT CREATED THE "MYTH OF VENICE"
Libro de la Republica de Vinitiani is not only an institutional description, but the text that more than any other contributed to transforming Venice into a universal political model. For over two centuries philosophers, ambassadors, and constitutionalists looked to the Serenissima as the perfect example of the balance between monarchy, aristocracy, and civic participation. Giannotti’s reflections influenced the European debate on modern constitutionalism and prepared the ground for the great political elaborations of authors such as Harrington, Montesquieu, and, indirectly, for the theorists of eighteenth-century constitutions.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Donato Giannotti (1492-1573) was one of the major political theorists of the Italian Renaissance. Born in Florence, he actively participated in the political life of the Florentine Republic and was close to the republican circles inspired by Niccolò Machiavelli. After the return of the Medici he spent many years away from his city, dedicating himself to historical and constitutional studies. His works on the Republic of Venice and on the Republic of Florence represent some of the most important contributions to European political theory of the sixteenth century and continue to be essential sources for the study of republican thought today.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The first edition of Libro de la Republica de Vinitiani appeared in Rome in 1540. The 1542 edition, printed by Antonio Blado Asolano, constitutes one of the most authoritative sixteenth-century reprints of the text. Blado, papal printer and official printer of the Roman Curia, was one of the absolute protagonists of Italian typography in the sixteenth century and published some of the most significant works of Humanism and the Renaissance. The surviving copies of the edition are now relatively rare on the international antiquarian market.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
EDIT16, CNCE 22928.
ICCU – OPAC SBN, cataloged copies of the 1542 Roman edition.
Adams, Catalogue of Books Printed on the Continent of Europe, G-665.
Brunet, Manuel du Libraire, II, col. 1598.
Graesse, Trésor de Livres Rares et Précieux, III, p. 75.
Morley, Venice and the Myth of Venice in Renaissance Political Thought.
Gilbert, Machiavelli and Guicciardini: Politics and History in Sixteenth-Century Florence.
King, Venetian Political Thought from Giannotti to Sarpi.
DBI – Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, entry "Donato Giannotti".