Virgilio - Opera Virgilii Maronis - 1613

Very RARE

P. Virgilii Maronis Opera (Correctissima…), Venice, Apud Brigna, 1622.

Format: 16mo (approx. 144 × 80 mm), 358 pages.

Elegant Venetian 17th-century edition of the complete works of Publius Vergilius Maro in a pocket-sized format, printed “Apud Brigna” (as shown by the engraved title page). The volume includes:
• The Life of Virgil attributed to Tiberius Claudius Donatus (with a dedication to Tiberius Claudius Maximus Donatianus);
• Eclogues (Bucolics), beginning with Tityrus;
• Georgics (books I–IV);
• Aeneid (books I–XII), with headings and the complete Latin text.

The title page is enriched by a beautiful full-page allegorical engraving (Virgil crowned, seated; Minerva armed with a spear; columns and classical motifs), signed and dated 1622. The text ends with the traditional “FINIS” on p. 358. Some pen marks present (pp. 240–241).

Binding: soft contemporaneous parchment (or slightly later), heavily worn and “lived” with a creased spine and boards, stains, woodworm holes, and humidity traces; on the spine a handwritten inscription in dark ink reads “Vergilio.” Edges and leaves show the typical stains and browning of the period; some small tears and edge wear, but the volume is complete and solidly legible.

Importance and rarity
This is a strictly accurate Venetian small-format edition, designed for portable reading and study, typical of the lagoon printing of the early Seicento. Editions of Virgil from this period and in this format are sought after by collectors of Latin classics and of ancient Venetian books; the Brigna publisher is not among the best known (unlike Giunti, Pezzana, or others), which makes this copy rarer than the more widespread issues.

The antiquarian value is reinforced by:
• the text’s completeness (Bucolics + Georgics + Aeneid + Life);
• the illustrated title page;
• the original parchment binding with handwritten title;

Overall condition: used but honest, with the signs of time typical of a 17th-century study book; but it preserves a strong appeal as a collectible piece and for display.

Ideal for collectors of Latin classics, of 17th-century Venetian editions, and of small-format old books.