Loredano - Scherzi Geniali - 1682

GENIUS PRACTICAL JOKES OF GIovAN FRANCESCO LOREDANO, NOBLE VENETIAN
ABSTRACT
A collection of narrative prose and moral pieces by Giovan Francesco Loredano, one of the most representative figures of Venetian literary culture in the 17th century and founder of the Accademia degli Incogniti. The work gathers a series of “jokes” constructed as tales, discourses, and compositions of historical, moral, and satirical character, often set in classical antiquity. The individual pieces, presented as true autonomous episodes, include figures such as Achilles, Agrippina, Cicero, Lucretia, Nero, Helena, and Seneca. Loredano uses ancient material as a tool to reflect on the conduct, passions, and vices of contemporary society. The work enjoyed considerable editorial success and was reprinted several times during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

WHY TO BUY
RARE TEXT OF BAROQUE LITERATURE – One of Giovan Francesco Loredano’s most celebrated works, a prolific author and central figure of the Accademia degli Incogniti.
INCOGNITI LITERATURE – The volume documents the lively Venetian literary culture of the seventeenth century, characterized by erudition, irony, narrative taste, and experimentation.
ORIGINAL STRUCTURE – The tales are conceived as autonomous “jokes,” with characters from classical antiquity and situations used to develop moral and satirical reflections.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTEREST – The Scherzi geniali experienced numerous editions and reprints, evidence of their wide circulation and popularity among readers of the time.

MARKET VALUE
Seventeenth-century editions of Scherzi geniali are sought mainly for their early date, the completeness of the two parts, the quality of the binding, and their preservation. The bibliography records numerous Venetian and Bologna editions; seventeenth-century copies in contemporary bindings regularly appear on the antique market. The value ranges between 100 and 200 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
The volume bears an original full parchment binding with a manuscript title on the spine. It shows signs of use, wear, abrasions, and stains to the binding; pages are browned with some stains. Initials, headpieces, and woodcut ornaments present. In old books with a multisentennial history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing includes Visual AI renderings. Please refer to the original photographs to verify the object’s actual conditions. Images are an integral part of the description. Pp. 8nn; 388;

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Scherzi geniali.
In Bologna, by Gioseffo Longhi, 1682.
Giovan Francesco Loredano.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Scherzi geniali belong to Loredano’s youthful production and represent one of the texts through which his literary fame was established. The work combines novella tradition, the taste of academic conversation, classical erudition, and moral satire. The titles of the individual tales reveal the method used by the author: figures from history and ancient mythology are placed at the center of exemplary situations in which the narrative action becomes an opportunity to reflect on passions, virtues, and human weaknesses. Loredano was also a fundamental figure of the Accademia degli Incogniti, an environment in which many of the most characteristic literary forms of Venetian culture in the seventeenth century circulated.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Giovan Francesco Loredano was born in Venice in 1606 and died in Peschiera in 1661. Belonging to the Loredan family, he pursued a political career, holding public offices in the Republic of Venice. Parallelly, he developed intensive literary activity, publishing novels, short stories, letters, playful works, and texts of a moral character. In Venice he founded the Accademia degli Incogniti, one of the most important centers of Venetian literary culture in the seventeenth century. His output enjoyed wide circulation and was reprinted and translated many times.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The Scherzi geniali were first published in his youth and enjoyed a long editorial fortune. Numerous Venetian editions from the 1630s onward are documented, followed by reprints in various Italian cities. The bibliography records, among others, Venetian editions by Sarzina and later Bologna editions by Gioseffo Longhi. The work continued to be reprinted in the late seventeenth century and beyond, confirming its notable diffusion.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Bibliography of the edition: Giovanni Francesco Loredano, Scherzi geniali, Bologna, Gioseffo Longhi, 1682. Bibliographic references: ICCU/SBN; EDIT16; CERL; WorldCat; Tiziana Menegatti, Ex ignoto notus: bibliography of printed works of the prince of the Incogniti: Giovan Francesco Loredano, Il Poligrafo, 2000; Treccani, entry “Loredano, Gian Francesco”; bibliographic guides of the editions of Scherzi geniali. The specialized bibliography documents the long series of editions of the work and its wide European circulation.