Dante Alighieri / Amos Nattini / Dino Provenzal - La Divina Commedia - 1959-1961

Important and monumental illustrated edition of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, the complete work in three large volumes, published in Milan by Edizioni d’Arte A La Chance du Bibliophile, with illustrative notes by Dino Provenzal and with the famous images drawn from Amos Nattini's originals.

This is the Normal Edition, specimen number MCCXXIII (no. 1223), part of the limited edition of 1,500 copies.

The edition constitutes one of the most ambitious twentieth-century examples of illustration of Dante's Comedy. The figurative apparatus comprises a total of 100 plates/“imagini” drawn from Amos Nattini's originals, distributed across the three cantiche as follows: 34 for the Inferno, 33 for the Purgatorio, and 33 for the Paradiso.

The bibliographic composition of the three volumes is:

* Volume I – Inferno: 442 pages + final leaves, with 34 plates, completed printing in April 1959 with the type of Amilcare Pizzi in Milan.
* Volume II – Purgatorio: 433 pages + final leaves, with 33 plates, completed printing in June 1960 with the type of Amilcare Pizzi in Milan.
* Volume III – Paradiso: 467 pages + final leaves, with 33 plates, completed printing in April 1961 with the type of Amilcare Pizzi in Milan.

The bibliographic count is thus 1,342 pages of numbered text, in addition to preliminary/final leaves and the 100 illustrations off-text.

Particularly prestigious the editorial realization: large quarto-format volumes, with full-leather bindings, titles and decorations impressed in gold on the backs, spine, large gilded centerpiece on the boards and gilded top edge. The side and bottom cuts retain the characteristic look of unfinished-edge paper.

The work was conceived as a true art edition. The printing was entrusted to Amilcare Pizzi of Milan, a key name in Italian artistic printing of the twentieth century, while the text and the illustrative notes were prepared by Dino Provenzal. The images reproduce the great Dante cycle realized by Amos Nattini, a protagonist of one of the most famous Italian figurative interpretations of the Divine Comedy of the twentieth century.

Amos Nattini (1892–1985) devoted a fundamental portion of his artistic activity to interpreting the universe of Dante. His compositions, monumental and strongly scenographic, combine symbolist taste, great anatomical attention, and a spectacular construction of scenes. The 100 plates present in this edition allow the viewer to follow visually the entire Dantean journey through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.

The specimen offered is particularly interesting because it preserves all three volumes of the series with the same numbering MCCXXIII, corresponding to specimen no. 1223 of the Normal Edition.

The photographs show the elegant leather bindings in cognac-colored leather with gold impressions, the backs with indication DANTE – I, II and III, the gables on the boards and the characteristic side clasps. Normal signs of age and use on the bindings are present. The interiors appear overall well preserved. Refer to the numerous photographs for a detailed assessment of the condition.

A complete work of great presence, interesting not only for the Dantean collector but also for lovers of twentieth-century illustrated books, bibliophilia, art bindings, and Italian graphic design.

Bibliographic data:
Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy – illustrative notes by Dino Provenzal – “Imagini” by Amos Nattini.
Milan, Edizioni d’Arte A La Chance du Bibliophile.
3 volumes: Inferno 1959 – Purgatorio 1960 – Paradiso 1961.
Normal Edition limited to 1,500 copies.
Specimen no. MCCXXIII / 1223.
100 plates total: 34 Inferno + 33 Purgatorio + 33 Paradiso.
Pages numbered: 442 + 433 + 467.
Format: large quarto, 36 × 27 cm

Tracked insured shipping and proper packaging.