Palmaverde - Il Corso delle Stelle Almanacco Piemontese - 1819

Piedmontese Palmaverde Almanac 1819

“The Course of the Stars Observed by the Modern Prognosticator”

Turin, Stamperia di Carlo Fontana, near S. Paolo, 1819.

In-16° (mm 163 × 102 at binding). Pp. 243.

Contemporary binding in full dark green morocco, boards framed by a double gold fillet with geometric and floral motifs, spine with smooth raised bands and gilded fillets and ornaments, gilded edges. Preservation good, with normal signs of use and light superficial scratches consistent with age.

Frontispiece entirely copper-engraved, of notable artistic quality: allegorical scene with a bull (zodiac symbol), winged putti, celestial figures (Justice with scales, Winged Genius), landscape with architectures and, at the base, a classically styled relief with nude figures.

The volume, printed in Turin “with privilege of S.S.R.M.”, is the official Piedmontese almanac for the year 1819. It contains:
• celestial figure and universal discourse on the astronomical year;
• complete monthly calendars with positions of the Sun and Moon, astrological and meteorological indications;
• movable feasts and ecclesiastical computation;
• chronology of the sovereigns of the House of Savoy;
• births and genealogies of the most distinguished princes of Europe;
• lists of public officials, magistrates, court functionaries and decorated persons.

Importance and rarity. Palmaverde almanacs constitute one of the longest-running and most prestigious series of Piedmontese ephemerides from the early nineteenth century.

The 1819 edition, published a few years after the Restoration, represents a valuable document of the institutional, religious and scientific life of the Kingdom of Sardinia under Victor Emmanuel I.

The illustrated frontispiece, of refined copper-engraving craftsmanship, and the green morocco binding with rich gilded decoration make it a particularly sought-after item for antiquarian Piedmontese collecting and for the history of printing in Turin.

Complete copies in a binding of notable quality are not easy to find on the market.