Dante / Venturi - La Divina Commedia - 1819

DANTE ALIGHIERI – THE DIVINE COMEDY OF 1819 IN THREE ELEGANT PISAN VOLUMES
A refined edition of the Divine Comedy published in Pisa in 1819, during the heart of the nineteenth-century rediscovery of Dante. Three complete volumes with the famous commentary by the Jesuit Pompeo Venturi, among the most widespread interpreters of the poem. The text resumes the prestigious Cominiana editorial tradition of 1727, fundamental in the history of Dantean philology. Elegant uniform half-leather bindings, with red inlays, gilt titles and marbled edges. A fascinating testimony to Dante’s fortune in pre-Risorgimento Italy.

ABSTRACT
Interesting Pisa edition of 1819 of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, published by Sebastiano Nistri in three volumes, with the commentary of the Jesuit Pompeo Venturi. The work reproduces the text of the 1727 Cominiana edition, recalling one of the most important eighteenth-century editorial traditions of the poem. The three cantiche, Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso, are accompanied by Venturi’s explanations, which illustrate the historical, theological, moral and literary references of Dante’s masterpiece. Published in an elegant pocket-sized format, this edition represents a significant example of the spread of Dante’s poetry in the early nineteenth century, when the Florentine poet returned to occupy a central role in Italian cultural formation and literary identity.

WHY TO BUY
A complete three-volume edition of the greatest work of Italian literature, particularly interesting for its Pisano editorial provenance and for Pompeo Venturi’s commentary. The 1819 publication belongs to the period preceding Dante’s consolidation as a cultural symbol of the Risorgimento, documenting renewed interest in the poem in the first half of the nineteenth century. The reference to the 1727 Cominiana text also gives the edition a precise bibliographic significance. The uniform half-leather bindings, with red inlays and gold decorations, make the whole particularly attractive from a collectible standpoint. An edition suitable for enthusiasts of Dante, classical Italian literature and historical editions of the Divine Comedy.

MARKET VALUE
Indicative estimated commercial value between 350 and 450 euros for the complete three-volume set, considering the 1819 Pisa edition, Venturi’s commentary and the uniform bindings. Value is primarily supported by the completeness of the set and its good external presentation.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Three volumes. Uniform dark half-leather bindings with marbleized paper covers in blue and black tones; smooth spines with gold lines, red inlays bearing the title Dante Divina Commedia and volume numbering impressed in gold. Marbled edges. Bindings with superficial abrasions, slight wear to the corners, headcaps and hinges. Interiors with some browning and natural foxing. In old books, with a centuries-long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI Visuals. Please refer to the original photographs to verify the actual condition of the item. Images are an integral part of the description. Pp.:
Vol. I: (2); 360; (2).
Vol. II: (2); 348; (2).
Vol. III: (2); 380; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri with the commentary of Father Pompeo Venturi.
Pisa, at Sebastiano Nistri, 1819.
Dante Alighieri, Pompeo Venturi.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Published in 1819, this edition of the Divine Comedy belongs to a pivotal phase of the modern rediscovery of Dante. After the long dominance of classicist models, from the late eighteenth century to the early nineteenth, the Dantean poem was progressively reevaluated as the supreme expression of language, history, and Italian cultural identity. The reference to the 1727 Cominiana text is particularly significant. The Padua edition printed by Giuseppe Comino indeed constituted an important reference point in the eighteenth-century transmission of the Commedia, thanks to the attention given to textual tradition and editorial correctness. Pompeo Venturi’s commentary responded to the need to make accessible the complex poetic and theological universe of Dante. His explanations guided the reader through the biblical, philosophical, historical, and mythological references of the poem, offering a reading influenced by the religious and literary culture of the eighteenth century. The Pisa edition by Sebastiano Nistri thus reunites two important aspects of Dante’s fortune: eighteenth-century philological tradition and the popular and cultivated diffusion of the poem in the early nineteenth century. The compact format and the division into three volumes facilitated consultation and reading, reflecting Dante’s growing centrality in Italian culture of the era.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Dante Alighieri (Florence, 1265 – Ravenna, 1321) is considered the father of the Italian language and one of the greatest poets of world literature. He actively participated in Florentine political life, holding important public offices, but in 1302 he was condemned to exile, which profoundly marked his life and literary production. During the years of exile he composed the Comedy, the grand allegorical poem in a hundred cantos, divided into Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso. The work represents the poet’s imaginary journey through the three realms of the afterlife, interweaving theology, philosophy, politics, history, and moral reflection. Among Dante’s other works are Vita Nuova, Convivio, De vulgari eloquentia, and De Monarchia. His influence on language and European culture has been immense and continues to be a fundamental reference point for the history of Western literature. Pompeo Venturi (1693–1752), Jesuit and Italian scholar, is remembered chiefly for his commentary on the Divine Comedy, published in the eighteenth century and subsequently reissued in numerous editions. His interpretation of the poem significantly contributed to the diffusion of Dante’s reading among the educated public.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The Pisa publication of 1819 belongs to the vast editorial tradition of the Divine Comedy developed between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The text follows, as stated on the title page, the 1727 Cominiana edition, while Venturi’s commentary belongs to one of the most fortunate eighteenth-century exegetical traditions of the poem. The Sebastiano Nistri publisher, active in Pisa in the first half of the nineteenth century, contributed to the diffusion of literary and cultural works through publications aimed at an increasingly broad audience. The choice of a pocket-sized format and division into three volumes met the needs of easy reading, while maintaining the monumental character of the work through the separation of the three cantiche. The original print run is not documented with precision. The edition remains a significant testimony to the enduring editorial fortune of Venturi’s commentary and to Dante’s progressive prominence in the Italian literary scene of the nineteenth century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Pisa, Sebastiano Nistri, 1819, three volumes. Giuseppe Comino, The Divine Comedy, Padua, 1727, edition of reference declared in the title page. Pompeo Venturi, The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri with annotations, eighteenth-century editorial tradition. Giuseppe Mambelli, The Annals of Dante Editions, Bologna, Zanichelli, 1931, fundamental directory of the poem’s editions. Marcella Roddewig, Dante Alighieri. Die Göttliche Komödie: vergleichende Bestandsaufnahme der Commedia-Handschriften, catalogue of the manuscript tradition of Dante. Catalogs of the Italian National Library Service, eighteenth-century editions of the Divine Comedy with Pompeo Venturi’s commentary.