Ratti - Pitture, Scolture, e Architetture dello Stato Ligure - 1780

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GENOA 1780: THE RARE ILLUSTRATED VOLUME OF THE TWO COASTS OF THE SERENISSIMA
Second volume of the famous historical-artistic guide by Carlo Giuseppe Ratti dedicated to Genoa and to the territory of the Republic. A eighteenth-century journey through cities, villages and castles of the two Coasts, in search of paintings, sculptures and architectures. The copy preserves the valuable figurative apparatus provided by the publisher, with 3 full-page plates and a large folded map of Genoa. Of particular charm are the engravings dedicated to Genoese costumes, including the famous Donna in Mezzaro. A evocative artistic, topographical and social testimony of Liguria a few years before the fall of the ancient Republic.

ABSTRACT
Published in Genoa in 1780 by Ivone Gravier, this volume constitutes Volume II of the “Instruzione di quanto può vedersi di più bello in Genova” by Carlo Giuseppe Ratti, as confirmed also by the contemporaneous gold-emblazoned title on the back: “INSTRUZ. D. GENOVA – TOM. II.” With the proper title Descrizione delle pitture, scolture, e architetture ecc. che trovansi in alcune città, borghi, e castelli delle due Riviere dello Stato Ligure, the volume extends the historical-artistic investigation from the city of Genoa to the territory of the Republic, organizing alphabetically localities, monuments and works of art. In addition to the artistic description there are chronological essays dedicated to the dominion of the Serenissima Republic of Genoa, historical and institutional notices and a catalog of Genoese and foreign artists who worked in the city. Particularly important is the iconographic apparatus, consisting of three full-page plates and a large folded topographic map, elements that greatly enhance the documentary and collecting interest of the copy.

MARKET VALUE
Indicative market value of this Volume II: €400–600. The appraisal takes into account the presence of the antique binding, the large folded map and especially the three full-page plates, expressly provided for by the Publisher’s Notice to the binder. The completeness of the illustrative apparatus is particularly important for this volume, as separate maps and plates are frequently missing in copies that have appeared on the market. The presence of only Volume II, and not the entire work in two volumes, naturally limits the value compared to a complete copy of both volumes; however this second volume has its own frontispiece, an autonomous editorial structure and an iconographic apparatus of notable interest.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary binding in bassana leather, spine ornamented in gold with raised lines, phytomorphic ornaments and inlays bearing “INSTRUZ. D. GENOVA” and “TOM. II.”; boards covered in decorated paper. Edges colored and silk bookmark. The iconographic apparatus includes 3 full-page plates and 1 large folded topographic map. The large folded map is of particular value, titled “Plan de la Ville de Genes,” depicting with notable detail the port, the urban center, the walls, the fortifications, the gates and the surrounding territory. Signs of use and aging, some stains and physiological browning. Binding shows wear at the ends of the spine, at the headbands and at the corners. In old books with a multihundred-year history, there may be some imperfections not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI Visualizations. The images are an integral part of the description. Pp. (2); 256; 8; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Descrizione delle pitture, scolture, e architetture dello Stato Ligure.
Genova, presso Ivone Gravier, 1780.
The character of second volume is further documented by the contemporary binding, which on the back bears the golden inscription: “INSTRUZ. D. GENOVA – TOM. II.”

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The work belongs to the great eighteenth-century era of Italian historical-artistic guides, conceived for scholars, art connoisseurs and the international traveling public of the Grand Tour. In the first volume Ratti guided the reader through Genoa’s artistic heritage; this second volume broadens the view to the two Coasts of the Republic of Liguria, recording artworks, monuments, buildings and historical testimonies in the cities, villages and castles of the Ligurian territory. The result goes beyond a simple guide: the volume becomes a true representation of Old Regime Liguria, in which art history, topography, costume, political history and institutions coexist. Of particular interest is the “Catalogo de’ Pittori, Scultori, ed Architetti tanto Genovesi, che forestieri, che hanno in Genova operato.” It includes many protagonists of Genoa’s great artistic era and international masters active in the city, among whom Pieter Paul Rubens and Antoon van Dyck. Even the costume plates possess notable documentary value. The Donna in Mezzaro, the Doge of Genoa and the Doge’s Page portray Genoese society through clothing, ceremonial and social distinction. The large folded map finally offers an important testimony of Genoa’s urban and military structure in the 18th century.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Carlo Giuseppe Ratti (Genoa, 1737–1795) was a painter, engraver, writer and, above all, one of the major art historians of Genoa in the 18th century. Formed artistically in the Ligurian milieu and later in Rome, he developed parallel to his painting activity a strong interest in the history of art and in documenting Genoa’s patrimony. His name is closely linked to the historiographical tradition begun by Raffaele Soprani, author of the famous lives of Genoese artists. Ratti continued and updated that work, collecting information on painters, sculptors and architects and documenting works preserved in churches, palaces and private collections. His guides remain an important source for reconstructing 18th-century Genoese artistic heritage, also because they record works later moved, dispersed or lost.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
-The present edition was published in Genoa in 1780 by Ivone Gravier, bookseller and publisher active under the Loggia di Banchi. The work is in two complementary volumes. The first is mainly devoted to the city of Genoa, while the second — the present volume — extends the reconnaissance to the two Coasts of the Ligurian State, supplementing it with chronological essays and other information about the Republic. Volume II has its own title page, proper title and specific illustrative apparatus, a circumstance that gives it a precise bibliographic individuality while being part of the overall work. Of particular interest for establishing completeness is the “Avviso al legatore” at the end of the volume, which provides instructions for placing the paper and the plates. The presence in the copy of the large folded map and of the three plates indicated by the publisher therefore constitutes a bibliographic and collecting element of particular importance.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU – SBN, National Library Service – census of Italian editions and copies preserved in Italian libraries.
WorldCat – cataloguing of copies preserved in international libraries.
Carlo Giuseppe Ratti, Instruzione di quanto può vedersi di più bello in Genova, Genova, Ivone Gravier, 1780.
Carlo Giuseppe Ratti, Descrizione delle pitture, scolture, e architetture ecc. che trovansi in alcune città, borghi, e castelli delle due Riviere dello Stato Ligure, Genova, Ivone Gravier, 1780.
Raffaele Soprani – Carlo Giuseppe Ratti, repertori biografici dei pittori, scultori e architetti genovesi.
Repertori bibliografici sulla storiografia artistica ligure del XVIII secolo, sulle guide di Genova, sulla cartografia storica genovese e sulla letteratura italiana del Grand Tour.