Virgilio - Opera - 1680

VIRGIL – THE MAGNIFICENT ILLUSTRATED THREE-VOLUME EDITION OF 1680 - COMMENTARIES OF SERVIUS, DONATUS AND EMMENESSIUS
Important sixteenth-to-seventeenth-century erudite edition of the complete works of Publius Virilius Maro, published in Leiden and Amsterdam in 1680 by Jacobus Hackius and Abraham Wolfgang. Three substantial volumes uniformly bound in full contemporary parchment, with morocco backstrips and titles impressed in gold on the spines. Richly illustrated with refined allegorical engravings depicting episodes from the Bucolics and the Aeneid, accompanied by numismatic illustrations and by a vast apparatus of philological commentaries. A significant testimony of Dutch classical publishing in the seventeenth century, in which Virgil’s literary authority meets the monumental exegetical tradition of European humanism and baroque culture.

ABSTRACT
Fine illustrated edition of Virgil’s works in three volumes, including the commentaries of the ancient expositors Servius, Filargyrius and Donatus, the observations of Jacobus Emmenessius, and contributions from numerous earlier scholars. Published in 1680 by Jacobus Hackius in Leiden and Abraham Wolfgang in Amsterdam, it presents the Latin poetic text accompanied by an extensive apparatus of historical, linguistic, mythological and antiquarian annotations. The copperplate engravings translate the great episodes of Roman literature into elaborate Baroque compositions. Preserved in the uniform original parchment bindings, the work constitutes an interesting example of illustrated book production and of the European philological culture of the seventeenth century.

WHY TO BUY
COMPLETE WORK IN THREE VOLUMES: Bucolics, Georgics and Aeneid, accompanied by a vast apparatus of erudite commentaries. BAROQUE ENGRAVINGS: Refined narrative and allegorical plates, some signed by the engraver Gerardus Appelmans. IMPORTANT PHILOLOGICAL EDITION: Reunites Virgil’s ancient commentators and Emmenessius’s observations. CONTEMPORARY PARCHMENT BINDING: Three volumes uniformly bound, with elegant morocco backstrips and gilded titles on the spines.

MARKET VALUE
Indicative market value: € 500–900. The main commercial interest lies in the three-volume format, the breadth of the exegetical apparatus, the richness of the illustrations, and the contemporaneous parchment bindings.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Three volumes uniformly bound in full contemporary parchment on cardstock, with brown morocco backstrips, titles and rules impressed in gold. Frontispieces ornamented with the publisher’s mark depicting an eagle with the motto “Movendo.” The work is illustrated with copperplate plates, allegorical and narrative, including scenes from the Bucolics and the Aeneid, as well as numerous numismatic and antiquarian depictions inserted in the commentary apparatus. Some engravings visible in the photographs bear the signature of Gerardus Appelmans. Each volume bears the ex libris of Professor Dr. R. Th. R. Wentges. The parchment bindings show scuffs, superficial marks and color alterations due to age, particularly evident in Vol. I. Internally one observes worming and stains. In old books with a long physical history, there may be some imperfections not always noted in the description. This listing includes AI Visuals. Please refer to the original photographs to verify the actual condition of the item. The images are an integral part of the description. Pp.:
Vol. I: (2); index, 704; (4).
Vol. II: (4); 2nn; 1124; (4).
Vol. III: (4); 982; (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
P. Virgilii Maronis Opera in tres tomos divisa, cum integris notis Servii, Philargyrii, nec non J. Pierii variis lectionibus, & selectissimis plerisque commentariis Donati, Probi, Nannii, Sabini, Germani, Cerdae, Taubmanni, & aliorum. Quibus accedunt observationes Jacobi Emmenessii. Cum indice erythraei. Lugduni Batavorum, apud Jacobum Hackium; Amstelodami, apud Abrahamum Wolfgang, 1680. Tre volumi.
Publius Vergilius Maro.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Virgil’s poetry occupied a privileged position in European education for almost two millennia, representing a model of literary perfection, political reflection and moral philosophy. In the seventeenth century his works already accumulated an extraordinary interpretive tradition, from late antique grammatical glosses to the philology of Renaissance humanists. This 1680 edition belongs to the great Dutch editorial tradition of monumental commented editions of classical authors, in which generations of scholarship are gathered around the original Latin text. The first volume contains pastoral and agricultural poetry, while the second and third divide the twelve books of the Aeneid. The exegetical apparatus is particularly significant for the study of Roman religion, mythology, ancient geography, historical allusions and archaeological testimony. The presence of minted coins and other antiquarian illustrations reflects the late Renaissance belief that material evidence could contribute to understanding ancient literature. Full-page plates further enrich the edition, translating Virgil’s poetic universe into the figurative language of Baroque.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Publius Vergilius Maro (70–19 BC) was one of the greatest poets of ancient Rome. Born near Mantua, he received a refined education and later entered the literary circles associated with Augustus. His three main works, the Bucolics, the Georgics and the Aeneid, established him as a fundamental authority of Latin literature. The Aeneid, devoted to the wanderings of the Trojan hero Aeneas and the mythical origins of Rome, became one of the foundational texts of European literary culture. Virgil’s influence traversed the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, playing a decisive role in the poetic formation of Dante Alighieri, who in the Divine Comedy chose him as a guide through Inferno and Purgatorio.

PRINTING HISTORY
The Leiden and Amsterdam edition of 1680 represents a mature phase of the editorial tradition of commented Virgilian works. The title page documents the editorial collaboration between Jacobus Hackius and Abraham Wolfgang, two figures tied to the thriving Dutch book industry of the seventeenth century. The work brings together the contributions of the ancient commentators Servius, Filargyrius and Donatus, along with the interpretations of numerous humanists and the observations of Jacobus Emmenessius. The copper engravings present in the copy, some signed by Gerardus Appelmans, confer a significant artistic dimension to the publication. The three-volume division responds to the breadth of the exegetical apparatus, which substantially enlarges the material extent of Virgil’s original compositions. This is a seventeenth-century scholarly edition, not the first edition of Virgil’s works.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schweiger, Handbuch der klassischen Bibliographie, II, Vergilius; Graesse, Trésor de livres rares et précieux, VII, Vergilius; Brunet, Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres, V, Virgilius; Ebert, Allgemeines bibliographisches Lexikon, Vergilius. Specific references to this impression and the complete bibliographic collocation remain to be verified.