Alciati - Emblemata - 1621

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COMPLETE SAMPLE OF THE RARE EMBLEM WITH A WOMAN DEFECATING IN A GOLD VASE: EMBLEM AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY, OFTEN CENSORED
The famous LXXX emblem, “Adversus naturam peccantes,” is present, often absent, censored, or eliminated in many later editions. The well-known figure of a woman defecating in a gold vase constitutes a harsh moral condemnation of behaviors deemed contrary to the natural order. Its presence forms part of one of the most debated iconographic cycles in the entire Alciatian production.
This monumental Padua edition of 1621 represents the pinnacle of the entire editorial tradition of Andrea Alciato’s Emblemata, the book that gave rise to European emblematic literature. In addition to the imposing apparatus of commentary that makes it the most expansive and studied version of the work, the copy features one of the elements most sought after by collectors: With its 212 woodcut emblems in the text and over a thousand pages of erudite commentary, the volume exceeds the concept of a simple illustrated collection and becomes a true encyclopedia of Renaissance and Baroque symbolism. Real and fantastical animals, mythological figures, historical episodes, moral allegories, and political teachings intertwine in one of the most influential books of modern Europe.

REASONS FOR COLLECTING
* Presence of the famous emblem LXXX, often missing or censored.
* 212 woodcut emblems in the text.
* Vast apparatus of commentary and interpretations.
* Foundational work of the entire European emblematic literature.
* Considered the most complete ancient edition of the Emblemata.

MARKET VALUE
Large illustrated editions of the Emblemata occupy a central position in the market for symbolic and iconographic books. The Padua edition of 1621 is generally regarded as the pinnacle of the Alciatian editorial tradition thanks to the extraordinary richness of the commentary and the breadth of the illustrated corpus. The presence of the emblem LXXX, often absent in incomplete copies or censored versions, constitutes a particularly interesting bibliographic and collectible element. Complete copies are increasingly sought after by scholars and lovers of iconology, history of images, and Renaissance culture. Valuations generally range from €1,500 to €4,500, with higher results for copies with the antiporta complete, bound in antique leather or with prestigious Provenances.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Collation: (4), 80, 1004, (4) pp. Contemporary half brown morocco binding with gilt title to smooth spine; signs of wear. Frontispiece with woodcut vignette. Complete with all 212 woodcut emblems in the text. Some foxing, physiological browning, stains, and sporadic damp halos. Genuine and complete copy of the text and the iconographic corpus. In old books with a multi-century history, a few imperfections may be present and are not always noted in the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Andreae Alciati.
Emblemata cum commentariis.
Patavii, Apud Petrum Paulum Tozzium, 1621.
Collation: (4), 80, 1004, (4) pp.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
First published in 1531, the Emblemata created a completely new genre that would dominate European visual culture for over two centuries. Each emblem combines an image, a motto, and a moral explanation, giving rise to a sophisticated system of symbolic communication. Through these tools, Alciato managed to transform the patrimony of classical antiquity into a universal language capable of speaking to rulers, religious figures, scholars, and artists. The 1621 edition represents the culmination of this evolution: the comments greatly expand the original meaning of the images and transform the volume into a true encyclopedia of European humanistic culture. The work’s influence extended to painting, sculpture, heraldry, garden design, decorative schemes for palaces and churches, and even to moral and political literature.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Andrea Alciato (1492-1550) was born in Alzate Brianza near Como and was one of Europe’s leading humanists of the Renaissance. Internationally renowned jurist, he taught in Milan, Avignon, Bourges, Bologna, Ferrara, and Pavia. He is considered the founder of humanist jurisprudence and the creator of the emblematic genre. The Emblemata, initially conceived as an erudite exercise, quickly became one of the most reprinted, translated, and imitated books of the entire modern era.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
From the Augusta printer’s 1531 first edition, the Emblemata enjoyed extraordinary diffusion, with hundreds of editions published across Europe. Pietro Paolo Tozzi’s 1621 edition is generally regarded as the culmination of this tradition thanks to the enormous expansion of the commentary and the systematic organization of the iconographic material. John Landwehr called it the most extensively commented version of the work. For its richness of content and critical apparatus, it represents one of the most important editions ever published of the Emblemata.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Landwehr, Emblem and Fable Books Printed in the Low Countries 1542–1813, no. 99.
Praz, Studies in Seventeenth-Century Imagery, pp. 24-38.
Green, Andrea Alciati and the Emblem Tradition.
Daly, Literature in the Light of the Emblem.
Manning, The Emblem.
Adams, A-544.
Brunet, Manuel du Libraire, I, col. 151-153.
ICCU / OPAC SBN, census of the Padua edition of 1621.
WorldCat, international locations.
Treccani, entry on "Alciato, Andrea".
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, references to the European emblematic tradition.
Modern studies on the iconographic and literary fortune of the Emblemata between the Renaissance and the Baroque.