Alfieri - Tragedie - 1802

ALFIERI 1802: THE COMPLETE TRAGEDIES IN TWO VOLUMES, IN ELEGANT GREEN VITELLIUS COVERS COEVAL
ABSTRACT
Elegant Lucca edition of the Tragedies by Vittorio Alfieri, published in 1802 by Domenico Marescandoli. The edition is catalogued in the Alfierian bibliography of the Center for Alfierian Studies and is particularly interesting because it appeared while Alfieri was still alive: the poet died the following year, on October 8, 1803. A specimen enriched by a refined coeval uniform green vellum binding, with gold-tooled corners, rich gold decoration on the smooth spine, titles and numbering on red double tabs, lips and hinges ornamented in gold. On the counterboards is applied the heraldic ex libris “Bibliothèque de St Philippe.” Compact, decorative edition and highly representative of Alfieri’s editorial fortune at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

REASONS FOR COLLECTING / WHY TO BUY
EDITION PUBLISHED DURING THE AUTHOR’S LIFETIME – Printed in 1802, one year before the death of Vittorio Alfieri, which occurred in Florence on October 8, 1803. fondazionealfieri.it
COMPLETE IN TWO VOLUMES – Specialist bibliography precisely records the Lucca edition, at Domenico Marescandoli, 1802, in 2 volumes in-12. Service commun de documentation (SCD)
COEVAL BINDING OF CHOICE – Refined green vellum with gilded frames, richly ornamented backs, red double tabs and gold decoration also on lips and hinges.
HERALDIC PROVENANCE – Presence on the counters of the heraldic ex libris “Bibliothèque de St Philippe,” an element that increases collecting interest and the object’s history.

MARKET VALUE
For this specimen, complete in the two volumes and especially well preserved in a decorative coeval uniform vellum binding in full green vellum with heraldic ex libris, a reasonable antiquarian range is €300–450.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Coeval uniform bindings in full green vellum, boards framed by gold lines and borders, smooth backs richly decorated with gilded friezes of floral and ornamental design; titles impressed in gold on red morocco double tabs. Lips and hinges decorated in gold. Counterboards lined with pink paper; heraldic ex libris “Bibliothèque de St Philippe” applied to the front counterboards of both volumes. Interior pages on paper with natural browning and sporadic foxing; light signs of use and rubbing to the bindings, more evident at the edges and headcaps, consistent with age. Overall a very decorative, genuine and well-preserved specimen. In old books, with a long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI Views. Refer to the original photographs to verify the object’s actual condition. Images are an integral part of the description. Pp.:
Vol. I: (6); 2nn; 384; (4).
Vol. II: (4); 356; (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Tragedies by Vittorio Alfieri da Asti.
Lucca, Published by Domenico Marescandoli, 1802.
Vittorio Alfieri.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Tragedies form the central core of Vittorio Alfieri’s oeuvre and represent one of the peaks of Italian theatre between the Enlightenment and early Romanticism. His dramaturgy concentrates action around the conflict between freedom and tyranny, individual will and power, making tragedy a tool for political and moral inquiry. Alfieri’s production exerted a strong influence on later Italian culture and became particularly significant for the intellectuals of the early Risorgimento. BiblioToscana This 1802 edition is of particular interest because it belongs to the author’s final life phase and testifies to the editorial dissemination of the Tragedies while Alfieri was still active in Florence. In the same year he continued to work intensely on his literary output.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Vittorio Alfieri was born in Asti in 1749 and, after a youth marked by lengthy European travels, devoted himself with increasing discipline to literature and especially tragedy. His education was deeply influenced by the classics, Dante, Petrarch, Machiavelli, and European Enlightenment culture. Central to his production is the theme of individual liberty contrasted with tyranny, developed in both theatre and political writings. He spent his final years in Florence, where he died on October 8, 1803; he was buried in Santa Croce, where in 1810 the famous monumental tomb sculpted by Antonio Canova was erected.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Alfieri’s tragedies underwent a complex editorial history from the 1770s to the early nineteenth century, with editions and reprintings in Italy and abroad. In 1802 several Alfieri-related editorial initiatives appeared simultaneously, including French translations and this Luccan two-volume edition. The Fondazione “Centro di studi Alfieriani” separately records “Tragedie di Vittorio Alfieri da Asti. Volume primo” and “Volume secondo,” Lucca, Domenico Marescandoli, 1802. A catalog of ancient fonds at the Université de Poitiers confirms the bibliographic form “Lucca: presso Domenico Marescandoli, 1802. – 2 vol. ; 12°.” Service commun de documentation (SCD) ICCU / SBN, national and local catalogs, s.v. Vittorio Alfieri and Domenico Marescandoli. CERL Thesaurus, s.v. Vittorio Alfieri and Marescandoli typography. WorldCat, s.v. Tragedie di Vittorio Alfieri da Asti, Lucca 1802. Fondazione “Centro di studi Alfieriani,” Chronology of Vittorio Alfieri’s life. fondazionealfieri.it Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, entry Vittorio Alfieri. Treccani

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Fondazione “Centro di studi Alfieriani,” repertory Editions settecentesche e ottocentesche delle opere di Vittorio Alfieri: census of the Lucca edition, Domenico Marescandoli, 1802, vols. I-II. Bibliothèque Universitaire de Poitiers, Fonds ancien – Petits formats: Alfieri, Vittorio, Tragedie, Lucca, presso Domenico Marescandoli, 1802, 2 vol., 12°. Service commun de documentation (SCD) ICCU / SBN, catalogues nationaux et pôls locaux, s.v. Vittorio Alfieri e Domenico Marescandoli. CERL Thesaurus, s.v. Vittorio Alfieri e tipografia Marescandoli. WorldCat, s.v. Tragedie di Vittorio Alfieri da Asti, Lucca 1802. Fondazione “Centro di studi Alfieriani,” Cronologia della vita di Vittorio Alfieri. fondazionealfieri.it Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, voce Vittorio Alfieri. Treccani