Varotari - Il Vespaio Stuzzicato - 1671

The Wasp-Nest Prodded: Venetian Satire of the Seventeenth Century Between Costume, Vices, and Daily Life
First edition, extremely rare and particularly interesting, of Dario Varotari’s principal satirical work, composed of twelve satires in Venetian dialect, each accompanied by a sonnet in Italian. The work addresses with an ironic and biting tone avarice, false friendships, civic tumult, fortune, superstition, honor, idleness, slander, lovers, and matrimonial dissensions. The volume is also notable for the famous copper-engraved frontispiece by Iacopo Piccini, depicting a faun provoking a wasp nest, an image directly connected to the title of the work. Finally, there is a glossary of Venetian terms and a collection of idioms and Venetian phrases, of particular linguistic and documentary interest.

REASONS FOR COLLECTING / WHY TO BUY
PRIMA EDIZIONE - First edition of 1671, sought after for its rarity and for its importance in the history of Venetian satirical literature.
DODICI SATIRE IN DIALETTO VENEZIANO - Complete collection of the twelve satires, accompanied by as many Italian sonnets, a significant document of Venetian culture in the Seicento.
ANTIporta INCISA DA IACOPO PICCINI - Beautiful figured frontispiece engraved in copper, signed I.P.F., depicting a faun in the act of poking a wasp nest, one of the most characteristic iconographic elements of the edition.
GLOSSARIO VENEZIANO - The work also includes a section explaining Venetian words and figurative uses, making it interesting not only for literature but also for the history of language and custom.

MARKET VALUE
The antiquarian market records for the first edition varying values according to completeness, condition, and binding. For this specimen, considering the first edition, completeness, the original frontispiece, and the contemporaneous binding, but also the evident signs of time and some imperfections in the paper, a provisional commercial assessment can be placed around €400–700.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary binding in boards with parchment-backed spine and corners, parchment label on the spine, sides covered in green decorative paper. Frontispiece engraved in copper, depicting a faun provoking a wasp nest with a stick; decorated initials, head-pieces, and tail-pieces wood-engraved. The copy shows widespread signs of use and age, some staining and normal browning, some stains and halos, particularly on the preliminary and final leaves; there are small imperfections and abrasions at the margins and in the binding. This listing contains AI Visualizations. Please refer to the original photographs to verify the object’s actual condition. The images are an integral part of the description. In old books with a long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 14nn; 184; 18nn; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Il Vespaio Stuzzicato.
Venice, presso Pietr'Antonio Zamboni, 1671.
Dario Varotari.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Il Vespaio stuzzicato represents one of the most singular testimonies of Venetian satire of the second half of the seventeenth century. The twelve satires are written in Venetian dialect and address social conduct through an ironic perspective: avarice, self-interested friendships, city life, fortune, superstitions, the emphasis placed on honor, slander, lovers, vanity, lost time, and matrimonial conflicts. Each satire is accompanied by a sonnet in Italian, creating an interesting alternation between literary and spoken Venetian. The work is also valuable for its linguistic apparatus at the end, with the “Dilucidazione d'alcune voci” and the “Modi figurati, e frasi Veneziane dilucidate.” The dedication is addressed to Nicolò de Pruniers, Marquis of Sant'Andrea, counsellor to the King of France and ambassador to the Republic of Venice. The dedication is dated Venice, 5 June 1671 and bears the signature of Dario Varotari. The frontispiece, signed I.P.F., depicts the faun provoking the wasp nest, visually translating the title and the provocative intent of the work.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Dario Varotari, active in the Seicento, was a poet, painter, engraver, and physician, son of the famous painter Alessandro Varotari, called Il Padovanino. Sources remember him mainly for his literary output and for his work as a satirical poet in Venetian dialect. He also wrote Il cembalo d'Erato, published in Venice in 1664, and libretti for music. Il Vespaio stuzzicato represents his most famous and significant work. Modern sources distinguish him from his grandfather of the same name, Dario Varotari the Elder.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The first edition was printed in Venice in 1671 by Pietr'Antonio Zamboni. The work was later reprinted in 1699. The first edition of 1671 is the one described here and is complete with the twelve satires, the twelve sonnets, the glossary, and the final sections. The copy features the characteristic copper-frontispiece and the typographic apparatus consisting of initials, head-pieces, and tail-pieces.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU / SBN; EDIT16; CERL; USTC; WorldCat; Treccani, “Varotari, Dario”; Enciclopedia Italiana, entry “VAROTARI, Dario,” by Luigi Fassò; Gamba, Series of writings printed in Venetian dialect; Biblioteca Civica Angelo Mai, catalog and records of Dario Varotari’s works; Wikisource, Il vespaio stuzzicato, edition of 1671; Google Books, digitized copy from Cremona Library; antiquarian catalogs and auction catalogs.