Francesco Loredano - Iliade giocosa - 1686

RARE LATE-SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY EDITION OF THE CELEBRATED BURLESQUE POEM BY GIOVAN FRANCESCO LOREDAN
Rare Venetian edition of 1686 of the “Iliade Giocosa,” one of the most successful burlesque rewritings of classical Italian epic. The work of Giovan Francesco Loredan, founder of the Academy of the Unknown (Accademia degli Incogniti) and among the most influential figures in Venetian culture of the Seicento, transforms Homeric universe into a brilliant literary parody, rich in allusions, social satire, and refined irony. Elegant example in contemporary soft parchment binding, well preserved and pleasantly fresh.
WHY TO BUY
* Work by one of the major protagonists of XVII-century Venetian culture.
* Amusing burlesque reinterpretation of Homer’s Iliad.
* Rare seventeenth-century Venetian edition.
* Testimony of the literary milieu of the Academy of the Unknown.
* Beautiful contemporary soft parchment binding.
* Interesting for both collectors of Baroque literature and enthusiasts of Venetian editions.

MARKET VALUE
Seventeenth-century editions of Giovan Francesco Loredan’s works are sought after by scholars of Venetian Baroque literature and collectors of seventeenth-century books. Quotations generally range from €500 to €1,500, with higher results for copies in excellent conservation state, complete and in contemporary binding.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Venice, Antonio Tivani, 1686. Contemporary soft parchment binding with manuscript title to the spine. Complete text, laid out on numbered pages with elegant typographic layout. Fresh and clean paper with light uniform browning; some physiological signs of use and modest signs of time. Excellent overall preservation for an edition originally intended for daily reading.
In old books with a multi-century history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. 301

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
*L’Iliade Giocosa by Gio. Francesco Loredano, Noble Venetian.
Published by Henrico Giblet, Knight.* In Venetia, Appresso Antonio Tivani, 1686.
Gio. Francesco Loredano,

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The "Iliade Giocosa" belongs to the great tradition of Italian heroic-epic poetry, which between the Fifteenth and Seventeenth centuries reinterpreted the great classical models through the filter of irony and satire. Loredan replaces the solemnity of epic with comic episodes, witty dialogues, and continuous allusions to contemporary society, demonstrating how Venetian culture was capable of transforming the classical patrimony into a refined exercise in wit. The work represents one of the most successful examples of playful Baroque literature, in which knowledge of ancient models becomes an occasion for invention and amusement.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Giovan Francesco Loredan (1607-1661), Venetian patrician, was founder of the Accademia degli Incogniti, one of the most prestigious intellectual circles of sixteenth-century Europe. A prolific author, he wrote novels, moral works, theatrical pieces and poetic compositions that contributed to the diffusion of Venetian Baroque culture. His works exerted a notable influence on Italian and European literature, distinguished by originality, stylistic elegance, and lively polemical spirit.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The 1686 edition was printed by Antonio Tivani in Venice, one of the active publishers of the second half of the seventeenth century. Loredan’s works enjoyed numerous reprintings due to their great success with the educated Venetian and Italian public. Copies preserved in original binding are today less common than later rebound copies, making those that preserve the seventeenth-century editorial appearance particularly desirable.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Melzi, *Dictionary of Anonymous and Pseudonymous Works*.
Gamba, *Series of Language Texts*.
Cicogna, *Of Venetian Inscriptions*.
EDIT16/ICCU (for Loredan editions).
Treccani, entry "Giovan Francesco Loredan".
OPAC SBN and WorldCat catalogs.