Raimondi - Le Caccie - 1785

THE GREAT BOOK OF HUNTING: FALCONS, WILD BEASTS, AND SEVEN SPLENDID ENGRAVINGS
One of the most celebrated and sought-after works of Italian hunting literature, published in Venice in 1785.
An fascinating repertoire of hunting, falconry, fishing, and natural history, from exotic beasts to birds of prey.
Enhanced by seven full-page copper engravings, with scenes of hunting and curiosities of sporting tradition. Fifth and final edition of a treatise first appearing in 1621, which has become a classic of the genre. A scarce copy in good condition, with ample original margins, preserved in a modern full-leather binding.

ABSTRACT
Le caccie delle fiere armate e disarmate di Eugenio Raimondi represents one of the most extensive and curious repertoires of Italian hunting literature. Originally published in 1621 and reissued in Venice in 1785, the work offers an extraordinary panorama of hunting practices, falconry, fowl hunting, and fishing, integrating naturalistic observations, popular traditions, technical knowledge, and accounts handed down by ancient authors. The tract describes quadruped, avian, and aquatic animals, addressing capture techniques, training of falcons and dogs, care of birds of prey, and the use of hunting tools. The text also includes digressions on exotic animals, naturalistic legends, and silkworm farming. The seven full-page copper engravings constitute a particularly attractive element of the edition, visually documenting the practices and imagery of hunting between the Renaissance and the modern era.

WHY TO BUY
An indispensable classic for a collection dedicated to hunting, falconry, and natural history. Raimondi’s work blends the encyclopedic richness of the seventeenth-century tradition with the charm of illustrated eighteenth-century publishing, offering an unusual repertoire of hunting techniques, animals, and curiosities. Particularly noteworthy is the presence of the seven copper engravings, one of which depicts the ball game with the bracelet, considered an important historical predecessor of modern tennis. This unusual iconographic testimony broadens the volume’s appeal to the history of sports and traditional games. The copy also preserves the margins in the original deckle, a feature sought after by collectors for its authenticity and for preserving the original paper size. A publication capable of appealing to book collectors, historians of zoology, and enthusiasts of European sports culture.

MARKET VALUE
The Venetian edition of 1785 is firmly recognized in the antiquarian market as one of the classical publications of Italian hunting literature. For a complete set of the seven engravings, in the deckle margins, with modern full-leather binding, a rough retail commercial valuation can be placed between €500 and €600.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Full-leather binding, produced after the publication. Title page with woodcut device, preliminaries, ornate initials and tailpieces. The offered copy contains seven engravings in the text and is preserved with deckle margins, not trimmed. Pages with browning and physiological foxing. In ancient books with a centuries-long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing includes AI images. Refer to the original photographs to verify the object’s actual condition. The images are an integral part of the description. Pp. (4); 394; 4nn; (6).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Eugenio Raimondi.
Le caccie delle fiere armate, e disarmate, e degl'animali quadrupedi, volatili, ed acquatici.
In Venezia, presso Francesco Locatelli, 1785.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The importance of Raimondi’s work lies in its encyclopedic character and in its ability to document a hunting universe that is largely vanished today. In the seventeenth century, hunting was one of the defining activities of European aristocracy, but it also included popular practices of capturing game through nets, traps, lari, and other devices. The tract presents both dimensions, ranging from noble hunts with hounds and greyhounds to techniques used in rural life. Falconry, a centuries-old art requiring sophisticated knowledge of breeding, training, and health of birds of prey, receives particular emphasis. Raimondi also pays attention to fishing and fowl hunting, pairing practical observations with material drawn from ancient and Renaissance naturalistic tradition. The work reflects an era in which the distinction between zoological science, empirical knowledge, and legendary beliefs was still fluid. Of great iconographic interest is the presence, among the seven engravings, of a depiction of the ball game with the bracelet, an Italian game considered among the precursors of modern tennis. The plate offers an unexpected perspective on the history of sports, making the volume significant not only for hunting but also for material culture and recreational activities of modern Europe.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Eugenio Raimondi, a Brescians scholar from Gavardo, was a writer active in the seventeenth century, remembered mainly for his contribution to Italian hunting literature. Skilled in letters and philosophy, he developed a body of work characterized by encyclopedic, moral, and naturalistic interests. His most famous work, Le caccie delle fiere armate e disarmate, published in 1621, gathers knowledge from ancient and modern authors, practical experiences, and traditions related to animals and hunting. He is also attributed with Il dottissimo passatempo, a 1660 work containing maxims, reflections, and instructions of political, moral, and religious character. His style reflects the erudite culture of the seventeenth century, in which scientific curiosity, literary knowledge, and taste for wonder coexisted within grand compilations intended for educated readers and enthusiasts.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The first edition of Le Caccie appeared in Brescia in 1621, published by Bartolomeo Fontana, with seven woodcut illustrations and an encyclopedic structure that ensured its fortune in later centuries. The work underwent several reprints, culminating in the fifth and final edition published in Venice by Francesco Locatelli in 1785. This edition features seven full-page copper engravings, testimony to the evolution of illustration techniques compared to the original sixteenth-century impression. The editorial continuity across more than a century and a half demonstrates lasting interest in Italian hunting treatises, valued for technical information and the richness of naturalistic descriptions. Bibliographic specialists regard the 1785 edition as less rare than the first, yet still sought after by collectors. The original print run of the Venetian reprint is not documented with certainty. The survival of copies in different bindings, from rustic eighteenth-century to later rebinding, testifies to the long circulation of the work in private libraries and European antiquarian markets.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Ceresoli, Bibliografia delle opere italiane latine e greche su la caccia, la pesca e la cinologia, p. 441, with reference to the work as a classic of Italian hunting; Brunet, Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres, I, 1090; Harting, Bibliotheca Accipitraria, no. 277, with particular attention to the discussion of hawks and falconry techniques; Gamba, Serie dei testi di lingua, no. 2061; Olschki, Choix de livres anciens, no. 209; Piantanida, Autori italiani del '600 e '700, nos. 150–151; Peroni, III, 89; Gonnelli Auction House, Grafica & Libri, auction 27, Florence, October 2019, lot 1563; Pandolfini Auction House, Libri, manoscritti e autografi, catalog 2026, lot 241. These references document the bibliographic importance of the treatise and its presence in the specialized collecting tradition of hunting books, falconry, and natural history.