Ferraro - Cavallo Frenato - 1620

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THE GREAT ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF ITALIAN EQUESTRIAN ART IN-FOLIO ILLUSTRATED ON RIDING & EQUITATION
Important edition of the famous Cavallo frenato by Pirro Antonio Ferraro, one of the great Italian treatises devoted to equitation, horsemanship, and the art of managing horses between the Renaissance and the early Seicento. Published in Venice by Francesco Prati in 1620, the work represents a broad synthesis of equestrian knowledge developed in the prestigious Italian schools, then considered a model at the major European courts. Ferraro addresses horse training, bit and mouth usage, the morphology of the animal, different breeds, breeding, and numerous technical aspects of riding and breaking.
What is especially exceptional is the pictorial apparatus: numerous woodcuts in the text and on full pages illustrate horses, postures, tack, bits, and a remarkable variety of bits, transforming the volume into a true iconographic repertoire of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century equestrian art. The large in-folio format, the first title page printed in red and black, and the richness of the illustrations confer a strong visual impact to the work. A fundamental book not only for the history of horsemanship but also for the study of horse breeding, aristocratic culture, the technology of harness and the courtly life in Western Europe during the modern era.

WHY TO BUY
GREAT IN-FOLIO EQUESTRIAN OF 1620! One of the classics of Italian and European equestrian literature.
HORSES, TACK AND BITS! A spectacular woodcut repertoire dedicated to the art of riding and training.
INDUSTRY LEADER OF EUROPE! The knowledge of the great Italian equestrian schools that influenced European courts.
DESIRED EDITION! Two parts, double title pages, and a very rich 17th-century illustration corpus.

MARKET VALUE
Seventeenth-century editions of Cavallo frenato belong to the most interesting tier of Italian equestrian bibliography, especially when complete and supplied with the extensive woodcut apparatus. The in-folio format, the richness of the illustrations, and the historical importance of the work support international demand among collectors of horsemanship, antiquarian veterinary art, and illustrated books. For a complete specimen of the second edition of 1620, with the engravings present and in good overall condition, a realistic retail value is in the €2,000-4,000 range. Specimens of particular freshness, with wide margins, antique bindings of fine quality, or significant provenance may command higher levels.

PHYSICAL / CONDITION
In-folio (mm 331 × 236). Two parts in one volume. [4], 118, [2]; 256 pages. Two title pages with typographic marks, the first printed in red and black. Rich apparatus of illustrations consisting of numerous woodcuts in the text and on full pages depicting horses, equestrian postures, harness, tack and numerous types of bits. Small and skillful restorations to the ends of some plates. Back-binding in full parchment, with title printed in gold on a flat spine plaque. Light browning, foxing, stains and normal signs of use compatible with age.
As with all old volumes, slight defects or restorations not expressly mentioned may be present.

FULL TITLES & AUTHORS
Pirro Antonio Ferraro.
Cavallo frenato di Pirro Antonio Ferraro, napolitano, cavallerizzo della maestà cattolica di Filippo II, re di Spagna, nostro signore. Divided into four books.
Venice: Francesco Prati, 1620.
SECOND EDITION.
In-folio (mm 317 × 222).
Two parts in one volume.
[4], 118, [2]; 256 pages.
Typographic marks on the two title pages, the first printed in red and black. Numerous woodcuts in the text and on full pages depicting horses, bits and morsi.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Pirro Antonio Ferraro was one of the most important Italian authors of equestrian literature between the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Connected with the Neapolitan milieu, which represented then one of Europe’s major centers for the art of riding and horse training, Ferraro developed his experience within the great Italian aristocratic schools. Naples, Ferrara and other courts of the peninsula had indeed developed in the Renaissance an extremely sophisticated equestrian culture, destined to exert a profound influence on French, Spanish and Central European horsemanship. Ferraro belongs to the tradition of the great Italian masters who considered the horse not only as a means of transport or a military instrument, but as an object of a true art founded on knowledge of anatomy, temperament, training, and the proper use of riding gear. In Cavallo frenato he described with notable precision the characteristics of the different breeds, the breeding and selection criteria, the techniques of breaking and especially the use of bits and bridles. This last matter is one of the most characteristic aspects of the work: the author analyzes a vast array of devices, illustrating them through detailed woodcuts and explaining their use in relation to the conformation and temperament of the individual animal. The treatise thus represents a fundamental testimony to the complexity reached by Italian equestrian art in the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque era.

RARITY
Cavallo frenato is one of the most significant titles in the great ancient Italian bibliography of horsemanship. Complete specimens of the seventeenth-century editions are particularly sought after because the highly practical character of the work and the large number of illustrations encouraged wear, mutilations and loss of individual sheets over time. The Venetian 1620 second edition preserves notable bibliographic and iconographic interest thanks to its two-part structure, the two title pages, and especially the vast woodcut repertoire dedicated to horses, bridles and bits. The completeness of the pictorial apparatus thus constitutes an essential element in antiquarian valuation. The large in-folio format and the specialist nature of the treatise make it a particularly desirable volume for collections devoted to horses, horsemanship, veterinary science, military art, and European court culture.

HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE
Between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries Italy occupied a central position in the development of modern horsemanship. Italian masters developed training techniques, postures, exercises, and systems for controlling the horse that were adopted and reinterpreted in the great European riding academies. Cavallo frenato documents this culture in exceptionally detailed fashion. Ferraro’s attention to morphology and temperament reveals a conception of training in which the choice of bit and bridle must be adapted to the characteristics of the individual horse. The vast repertoire of harness represented in the woodcuts also constitutes a primary source for the history of equestrian technology and material culture. The work also contains information on breeds, breeding, and anatomy, broadening its interest well beyond simple riding technique. The volume thus offers a direct testimony to the symbolic and practical importance of the horse in European aristocratic society: a war, travel, ceremony animal and above all an essential instrument for educating the gentleman.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mennessier de La Lance, Essai de Bibliographie Hippique, I, pp. 460-462.
Brunet, Manuel du libraire et de l’amateur de livres, II, 1227.
Graesse, Trésor de livres rares et précieux, II, 567.
Pirro Antonio Ferraro, Cavallo frenato, Venezia, Francesco Prati, 1620.
Repertori bibliografici dedicati alla letteratura equestre italiana, all’ippologia e alla storia dell’equitazione europea.