Michele de Carcano - [Incunable] Sermonarium - 1495

MONTI DI PIETÀ TO FIGHT USURY: A RARE INCUNABULUM OF ETHICAL FINANCE
Very rare incunabular edition of one of the most influential works of Franciscan preaching in the Fifteenth Century. Michele de Carcano was the great preacher who transformed the fight against usury from a mere moral theme into a concrete project of economic and social reform.
A rubricated exemplar with filigree initials in a contemporary hand.
These sermons directly contributed to the birth of the Monti di Pietà, institutions intended to offer credit to the poorer classes as a Christian alternative to usury, deeply transforming the economic life of Italian cities. Printed in Milan in 1495 by the renowned printer Ulderico Scinzenzeler for Raffaele Peregalli, this volume constitutes one of the most important testimonies of religious culture of the early Renaissance. The refined Gothic layout, the incipit in red, the filigree initials, and the rubrication in a medieval hand make this exemplar also a splendid document of Italian typographic art among incunabula.

WHY TO BUY
• Work that contributed to the birth of the Monti di Pietà.
• Rubricated exemplar with filigree initials in a medieval hand.
• Essential for the history of economics, finance, and Christian social doctrine.
• Rare Milanese incunabular edition from 1495.
• Printed by Ulderico Scinzenzeler, one of Milan’s foremost printers of the 15th century.

MARKET VALUE
Incunabula by Michele de Carcano are rarely available on the international market and are sought after both by collectors of religious books and by scholars of European economic history. The Milan editions by Scinzenzeler, particularly when they preserve the original rubrication and are in good condition, typically reach prices between €8,000 and €10,000.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Later full parchment binding with flat spine. Ex libris Terrosi Vagnoli. Text in Gothic type laid out in two columns. Incipit printed in red. Large filigree initial of twelve lines in red and blue. Drop caps alternating red and blue and manuscript rubrication in red throughout the volume. Ancient ownership notes at the small opening. Modest staining along the top margins of the first and last leaves and sporadic signs of use. In old books, due to their nature and centuries-long history, small imperfections may be present not always expressly noted. Collation: (2), 265, (4). This listing contains AI Visualizations. Refer to the original photographs to verify the actual condition of the item. Images are an integral part of the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Sermonarium de commendatione virtutum et detestatione vitiorum.
Milan, Uldericus Scinzenzeler, for Raphael Peregallus, 1495.
Michele de Carcano.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
From the second half of the Fifteenth Century to the early Sixteenth Century, the observant Franciscan preaching represented one of the most powerful tools for transforming Italian society. Michele de Carcano was among its leading interpreters, addressing from the pulpits questions we would now define as economic and social: credit, debt, commerce, poverty, justice in economic relations, and the moral responsibility of wealth. His tireless campaign against usury fostered the foundation of the Monti di Pietà, institutions that allowed common people to obtain small loans on pawn without turning to usurers. This volume documents one of the moments when theological reflection moved from the universities to concretely shape the economic organization of Italian cities, foreshadowing themes that would remain central in European history.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Michele de Carcano was born near Como around 1427 and joined the Order of Friars Minor Observants at a very young age. Considered one of the greatest preachers of his time, he traveled much of northern and central Italy delivering sermons that addressed both spiritual life and the economic problems of urban society. He collaborated with the leading figures of the Franciscan Observance and energetically supported the creation of the Monti di Pietà, contributing to their rapid diffusion. He died in 1484, leaving a corpus of sermons that continued to be printed throughout the Renaissance.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
This rare edition was printed in Milan in 1495 by Ulderico Scinzenzeler for the bookseller-publisher Raffaele Peregalli. Scinzenzeler is regarded as one of the most important printers active in northern Italy at the end of the 15th century and played a decisive role in disseminating Lombard religious and humanist culture. Michele de Carcano’s works were frequently read and used by preachers and religious, but the survival of incunabula editions is today limited. Rubricated exemplars, complete with decorated initials and kept in good condition, are particularly sought after in specialized Italian incunabula collections.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ISTC im00121000.
GW M12089.
Hain-Copinger 4481.
Goff M121.
IGI VI, 6579.
BMC VI, p. 776.
Bod-Inc M-045.
IBE 3908.
OCLC / WorldCat.
ICCU – OPAC SBN.
Franco Mormando, The Preacher's Demons: Bernardino of Siena and the Social Underworld of Early Renaissance Italy.
Giacomo Todeschini, I mercanti e il tempio.
Maria Giuseppina Muzzarelli, Il denaro e la salvezza. L'invenzione del Monte di Pietà.
Treccani, entry on "Michele Carcano".