Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus - Opera - 1691

SVETONIUS ILLUSTRATED: THE LIVES OF THE TWELVE CAESARS IN THE ELEGANT ERUDITE EDITION BY GRAEVIUS WITH SPLENDID ENGRAVED plates
ABSTRACT
Magnificent illustrated edition of Suetonius' Works, published between The Hague and Utrecht in 1691 and edited by the great Dutch philologist Johann Georg Graevius. Considered one of the finest erudite editions of the seventeenth century dedicated to the Latin historian, it presents the text critically revised and accompanied by Graevius’s extensive commentary, destined to become a reference point for European classical studies. The work is enriched by an elegant copperplate frontispiece and by a famous series of full-page portraits of the Roman emperors, executed with refined artistic quality in keeping with the taste of Dutch classicism. The plates, richly framed by armor, military trophies, and allegorical motifs, constitute one of the most successful iconographic sets ever devoted to the Twelve Caesars. Particularly interesting is the contemporary school prize binding in Delft parchment, decorated in gold with a large central monogram, accompanied by a handwritten dedication dated 1697 signed by the rector and the teachers of the Delft Gymnasium, a rare testimony of Dutch humanist culture in the seventeenth century.

REASONS FOR COLLECTING
• Important critical edition edited by Johann Georg Graevius.
• Splendid illustrative apparatus with engraved frontispiece and copperplate portraits of the Roman emperors.
• Rare school prize binding from Delft in golden parchment.
• Interesting handwritten dedication of 1697 signed by the rector and the Gymnasium teachers.
• A fundamental classic of Roman historiography in one of the most prestigious editions of the Seventeenth Century.

MARKET VALUE
The great illustrated sixteenth-century editions of Suetonius edited by Graevius are highly sought after by collectors of Roman history and classical books. Complete copies with all engravings preserved in the original school prize binding generally command values between €500 and €1,500, with higher quotations for copies complete with all plates and with documented school provenance.

PHYSICAL
Contemporary Delft prize binding in stiff parchment, impressed and gilded decorations on the boards with a large central letter "Y"; handwritten dedication dated 1697 on the second white leaf, signed by the rector and the Gymnasium teachers. Copperplate frontispiece and 11 full-page copperplates (the portrait of Julius Caesar is missing, originally planned as the twelfth plate). Some stains on the initial leaves; parchment slightly browned; hinges and joints slightly loosened. As with all old volumes, minor defects or restorations not explicitly mentioned may be present. Pp. (4); 16nn; 822; 110; 154nn; (4).

FULL TITLE
Opera ex recensione Joannis Georgii Graevii.
Hagae-Comitis, Apud Johannem à Velsen, Trajecti ad Rhenum, Typis Rudolphi a Zyll & Anthonii Schouten, 1691.
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus.

CONTEXT
The Lives of the Twelve Caesars constitute one of the main sources on the history of the Roman Empire from Augustus to Domitian. Through a narrative rich in biographical detail, anecdotes, and direct testimonies, Suetonius offered a model that was to deeply influence Western historiography. Graevius’s edition belongs to the great era of Dutch erudite humanism, when the United Provinces became the leading European center for publishing classical texts with critical apparatus, commentaries, and illustrations of the highest quality.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (c. 70–AD 122) was a Roman historian and biographer, secretary to Emperor Hadrian. His Lives of the Twelve Caesars represent one of the most important works of Latin historiography, thanks to the extraordinary wealth of information on the private and public life of the Roman emperors.
Johann Georg Graevius (1632–1703), one of the major philologists of the seventeenth century, taught at Duisburg and Utrecht and edited some of the most authoritative editions of Latin classics published in the Netherlands.

PRINTING
The edition was printed in 1691 in The Hague and Utrecht by Johannus van Velsen, Rudolf van Zyll and Anthonius Schouten, leaders of Dutch academic publishing. The typographic quality and the refined copperplate apparatus make it one of the most elegant Suetonius editions published in the seventeenth century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Graesse, Trésor de Livres Rares et Précieux.
Brunet, Manuel du Libraire.
Schweiger, Handbuch der klassischen Bibliographie.
Adams, Catalogue of Books Printed on the Continent of Europe.
WorldCat.
ICCU – Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale.