Perlone Zipoli - Malmantile racquistato - 1688

THE MOST CELEBRATED EDITION OF MALMANTILE, THE FLORENTINE HEROIC-EPIC POEM THAT MADE ITALY LAUGH
Magnificent sixteenth-seventeenth-century edition of Malmantile Racquistato, the masterpiece by Lorenzo Lippi (1606–1665), under the pseudonym Perlone (Pirlone) Zipoli, one of the most famous works of Italian heroic-epic literature. The poem, composed in twelve cantos and written in lively Tuscan, is accompanied by the fundamental annotations of Paolo Minucci, essential for understanding the very rich popular lexicon, proverbs, historical allusions, and Florentine idiomatic expressions. The volume is graced by an elegant frontispiece engraved in copper and is housed in a refined antique parchment binding with boards covered in marbled paper.

WHY TO BUY
One of the most important works of Italian Baroque literature and a true monument of the Florentine language.
A celebrated illustrated edition with a magnificent allegorical frontispiece engraved, among the most sought-after by Malmantile collectors.
The ample notes by Paolo Minucci are fundamental, still considered one of the most important repertories of 17th-century Tuscan lexicon.
A work that deeply influenced the Italian heroic-epic tradition and represents one of the highest expressions of Medicean literary culture.

MARKET VALUE
Malmantile Racquistato has long held a position of absolute prominence in Italian books collecting. The complete sixteenth-seventeenth-century editions with the famous Paolo Minucci annotations and preserved in contemporaneous bindings are always highly sought after. Interest is shared by collectors of Italian literature, linguistics, history of language, and Tuscan culture, making the volume a constant presence in major antiquarian bookshops and international auctions. 700 – 1,000 Euro.

PHYSICAL
Frontispiece allegorical copper engraving.
Full text with Paolo Minucci’s annotations.
Elegant antique parchment binding with boards covered in marbled paper and a manuscript spine slip.
Beautiful copy, fresh and well preserved. Pages overall clean with slight browning and occasional marginal stains. Clear engraving, well impressed. Sturdy binding with normal signs of age and modest abrasions to the boards. Excellent copy in its antique guise. Pp. 545

FULL TITLE
Il Malmantile Racquistato di Perlone Zipoli con le Note di Puccio Lamoni, cioè di Paolo Minucci.
Firenze, nella Stamperia di S.A.S. alla Condotta, 1688
Lorenzo Lippi

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Composed in the height of Florentine Seicento, Malmantile represents the apex of Italian heroic-epic poetry after Luigi Pulci’s Morgante. Through a language rich in proverbs, sayings, and dialect words, Lorenzo Lippi constructs a refined parody of the great chivalric poems. The annotations by Paolo Minucci moreover transform the volume into an extraordinary dictionary of spoken Tuscan in the 17th century, making it an indispensable source for linguists and historians of culture.

THE AUTHOR
Lorenzo Lippi published the work under the pseudonym Perlone Zipoli, one of the most famous fictitious names in 17th-century Italian literature.
The nickname stems from the playful tradition of Florentine academies, where it was common to adopt burlesque and deliberately popular names. “Perlone” or “Pirlone” evokes a rustic character, a simple and somewhat coarse man, while “Zipoli” refers to the homonymous Tuscan focaccia or schiacciata (zipoli), deliberately evoking a popular, peasant origin.
Lorenzo Lippi (1606–1665), a Florentine painter and poet, was one of the most original figures of the Italian Seicento. Alongside his brilliant artistic career, he pursued a intense literary activity culminating in the composition of Malmantile Racquistato, published posthumously and destined to become one of the most famous poems of the Italian tradition. His work blends refined humanistic culture, popular humor, and remarkable command of the Tuscan language.

THE PRINTER
The Grand Ducal Press of Florence was one of the most prestigious Italian typographic workshops of the 17th century. Editions intended for the Medici court stand out for the high quality of printing, engravings, and editorial apparatus, contributing decisively to the diffusion of Tuscan literature.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
Malmantile Racquistato is much more than a burlesque poem. It constitutes one of the most important monuments of the Italian language, an inexhaustible source for the study of Tuscan lexicon, and a supreme masterpiece of European literary comedy. Paolo Minucci’s famous annotations have preserved hundreds of words, idioms, and proverbs that would otherwise have been lost, making this work an indispensable reference not only for the history of literature but also for Italian linguistics and philology.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gamba, Serie dei Testi di Lingua.
Brunet, Manuel du Libraire et de l'Amateur de Livres.
Graesse, Trésor de Livres Rares et Précieux.
Parenti, Dizionario dei Luoghi di Stampa.
Moreni, Bibliografia Storica della Toscana.
ICCU, Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico.
SBN – Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale.
CERL, Heritage of the Printed Book Database.
British Library Catalogue.
Library of Congress Catalogue.
Bibliothèque nationale de France.
WorldCat.