Oronce de Finé - Giuoco d'Arme dei Sovrani - 1692

52 ENGRAVED PLATES - THE MOST CELEBRATED SIXTEENTH-CENTURY ARALDIC MANUAL
Rare and important Neapolitan edition of the famous Giuoco d'Arme dei Sovrani e degli Stati d'Europa, the original didactic work conceived by the celebrated French heraldist Claude Oronce Finé de Brianville (1608-1675), aimed at teaching heraldry, geography and history through an innovative learning system based on a game. Translated from French and extensively annotated by Bernardo Giustiniani, this edition constitutes one of the most significant testimonies of European heraldic literature from the second half of the XVII century.
The work enables learning the coats of arms of the principal dynasties and European states, linking them to their historical and geographical vicissitudes. The richly illustrated apparatus includes 52 engraved plates, a folded plate, and numerous engraved arms, transforming the volume into an authentic heraldic repertory and one of the most refined educational tools for the formation of European nobility between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.

WHY TO BUY
• Rare Italian edition of the famous heraldic manual by Brianville.
• Original teaching method that unites heraldry, geography and history.
• Complete with 52 engraved plates and a folded plate.
• Includes the rare Letter of Alessandro Partenio.
• Essential work for collectors of heraldry, genealogy and European history.
• Among the most important heraldic manuals published in the XVII century.

MARKET VALUE
Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century editions of the Giuoco d'Arme are consistently sought after on the international antiquarian market, especially when complete with the engraving apparatus. Complete copies with the plates and preserved in their original binding generally command prices between €900 and €1,800, with higher results for pristine copies, complete and well provenance.
Estimated commercial value: €900 – 1,800.

PHYSICAL / CONDITION
Collation: (24), 285, (16) pages.
Illustrated with an engraved crest on the verso of the title page, a folded engraved plate and 52 engraved plates.
The final fascicle T (Letter of Alessandro Partenio) is bound after the four preliminary leaves, according to a correct collation variant and in keeping with complete exemplars.
Frontispiece with some words historically picked out in red and a small hole in a white area. Some gatherings slightly loosened.
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The exemplar is distinguished by:
• complete illustrative apparatus;
• rare variant of correct collation;
• good overall state of preservation.
Overall judgment: 8/10.
As with all ancient volumes, small defects not expressly mentioned may occur.

FULL TITLE
Finé de Brianville, Claude Oronce.
Giuoco d'Arme dei Sovrani, e degli Stati d'Europa. Per apprender l'Arme, la Geografia, e la Storia loro curiosa.
Tradotto dal francese e annotato da Bernardo Giustiniani.
Napoli: Giacomo Raillard, 1692.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
In the seventeenth century heraldry constituted an essential discipline in the training of nobles, diplomats and court officials. Brianville revolutionized the teaching of this subject by turning it into a genuine learning game, capable of associating visual memory, political geography and dynastic history. The work achieved extraordinary success across Europe, was translated into numerous languages and remained for over a century one of the most appreciated instructional tools for the knowledge of European states and their ruling families.

AUTHOR
Claude Oronce Finé de Brianville (1608-1675), French scholar and heraldist, was among the leading disseminators of European heraldry in the XVII century. His works, characterized by accessible language and a strongly didactic approach, enjoyed wide international diffusion and helped train whole generations of nobles and scholars.

PRINTING
Important Italian edition printed in Naples by Giacomo Raillard in 1692, translated and expanded by Bernardo Giustiniani. It is regarded as one of the most complete and sought-after versions of the Giuoco d'Arme thanks to its extensive iconographic apparatus, the additional annotations, and the famous Letter of Alessandro Partenio.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Saffroy, Bibliographie généalogique, héraldique et nobiliaire, II.
• Lipperheide, Sammlung für Kostümwissenschaft, Kb 15.
• Graesse, Trésor de Livres Rares et Précieux, I, p. 498.
• Brunet, Manuel du Libraire, II.
• ICCU – Catalogo del Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale.
• USTC – Universal Short Title Catalogue.
• WorldCat/OCLC.
• Biblioteca Nazionale di Francia (BnF), catalogo generale.
• Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, catalogo storico.