Metastasio - Opere - 1781-1783

METASTASIO AND THE SPLENDOR OF 18th-CENTURY THEATER: 16 VOLUMES WITH 118 ENGravings
An extraordinary illustrated edition of the works of Pietro Metastasio, the most famous Italian theatrical poet of the Eighteenth Century and a central figure in European musical culture. Published in Venice by Antonio Zatta between 1781 and 1783, this refined collection comprises 16 volumes enriched by 118 full-page engravings and 125 typographic headpieces. A sumptuous gallery of mythological scenes, amorous passions, heroes and sovereigns of antiquity, created by the leading Venetian engravers of the time. A complete, elegant and uncommon ensemble, testimony to the great editorial and artistic tradition of the Serenissima.

ABSTRACT
A valuable Venetian edition of the Works of Mr. Abbot Pietro Metastasio, imperial poet, published at Antonio Zatta between 1781 and 1783, according to the corrected text and expanded by the author for the Paris edition of 1780. The collection encompasses the entire literary production of Pietro Metastasio (1698–1782), one of the foremost representatives of Italian melodrama and a fundamental figure in 18th-century European poetry. The sixteen volumes bring together dramas for music, theatrical compositions, cantatas, poems and other writings, offering a broad panorama of the poet’s creative activity at the Vienna imperial court. Particularly extraordinary is the iconographic apparatus, consisting of 118 full-page copper engravings and 125 engraved headpieces, in addition to the portrait of the author in the frontispiece of the first volume and the elegant vignettes on the frontispieces. The engravings were produced by important artists from the Venetian milieu, including Giuliano and Gianantonio Zuliani, Antonio Baratti, Pellegrino dal Colle, Daniotto, Innocente Alessandri and Cristoforo Dall’Acqua, also based on drawings by Giuseppe Gobbis and Pietro Antonio Novelli. The refined typographic composition, the portable format, and the exceptional richness of the images render this edition one of the most captivating examples of late 18th-century Venetian illustrated production.

WHY TO BUY
A collection of notable prestige for collectors of Italian literature, theatrical music, 18th-century engravings and fine Venetian illustrated editions. The most interesting feature is the presence of 118 full-page copper engravings, accompanied by no fewer than 125 finely engraved headpieces, an iconographic apparatus of extraordinary breadth relative to the format of the volumes. The images illustrate dramatic episodes, mythological scenes, historical settings and key moments from Metastasio’s theatrical works, offering a striking visual interpretation of the 18th-century poetic imagination. Of particular importance is the involvement of numerous specialized engravers, whose collaboration provides the collection with a remarkable variety of compositional and decorative solutions. The inclusion of the author’s portrait engraved by Marco Pitteri in the first volume constitutes a further element of iconographic interest. The elegant half-leather bindings with gilded titles and fillets, the marbled boards and the sprayed edges enhance the whole, preserving the appearance of an 18th-century library. The completeness of the sixteen volumes represents a particularly favorable collecting factor, as large illustrated collections are frequently dispersed or missing part of the plates. A work that unites Metastasio’s literary value with the charm of Venetian copperplate engraving, suitable for both a specialized library and a collection of prestigious illustrated books.

MARKET VALUE
The Zatta edition of 1781–1783 occupies an interesting position in the antiquarian market for 18th-century illustrated works, especially for the richness of the copperplate apparatus and the difficulty of obtaining complete series in uniform condition. Complete sets of the sixteen volumes are offered by specialized antiquarian booksellers at indicative prices ranging from 800 to 1,200 euros, with variations due to binding quality, paper freshness and completeness of the engravings.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Half-leather bindings with raised bands, gilt titles and fillets on the spines, boards covered in marbleized paper and sprayed edges. The first volume features a fine frontispiece with the portrait of Pietro Metastasio engraved by Marco Pitteri. Each volume is enriched by a frontispiece with a copper-engraved bucolic vignette. Completing the collection are 118 full-page copper engravings and 125 copper-engraved headpieces, produced by Zuliani, Baratti, Dal Colle, Daniotto, Alessandri and Dall’Acqua. Minor signs of use to the bindings, with some superficial crackling. Presence of light water stains in a couple of volumes. Interior with some browning and physiologic foxing. In old books, with a multi-century history, some 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 conditions of the item. The images are an integral part of the description. Collation of the sixteen volumes, according to the data provided: Vol. I: (2) white; (2); 112; 95; (3) white. Vol. II: (2) white; (2); 108; 106; (2) white; 90; (4) white. Vol. III: (2) white; (2); 96; 107; 120; (2) white. Vol. IV: (2) white; (2); 107; 142; (2) white; 108; (2) white. Vol. V: (2) white; (2); 91; 103; 123; (3) white. Vol. VI: (2) white; (2); 106; (2) white; 95; 84; (2) white. Vol. VII: (2) white; (2); 94; (2) white; 105; (3) white; 80; (2) white. Vol. VIII: (2) white; (2); 268; (2) white. Vol. IX: (2) white; (2); 83; 155; (3) white. Vol. X: (2) white; (2); 399; (3) white. Vol. XI: (2) white; (2); 334; (4) white. Vol. XII: (2) white; (2); 96; 228; (2) white. Vol. XIII: (2) white; (2); 71; 262; (4) white. Vol. XIV: (2) white; (6); 300; (2) white. Vol. XV: (2) white; (2); 243 pages numbered, corresponding to 393 actual pages according to the provided description; (3) white. Vol. XVI: (2) white; (2); 383; IV; (2) white. Estimated total of 5,170 pages, counting the 393 actual pages of volume XV, in addition to the off-text copperplate apparatus.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Pietro Metastasio.
Opere del signor ab. Pietro Metastasio poeta cesareo.
Venice, at Antonio Zatta, 1781–1783.

CONTEXtT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Pietro Metastasio represents one of the decisive figures in the history of European musical theater, having contributed decisively to the definition of the serious eighteenth-century melodrama. His works were set to music by generations of composers, from Antonio Caldara and Johann Adolf Hasse to Christoph Willibald Gluck, Niccolò Jommelli, Giovanni Paisiello and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Through his dramas, Metastasio developed a theatrical language in which poetic clarity, moral conflict and emotional intensity combined with the demands of musical representation. Texts such as Didone abbandonata, Artaserse, Alessandro nell’Indie, La clemenza di Tito, Olimpiade, Demetrio e Demofoonte became models for European opera theaters, generating numerous musical versions and adaptations. The fortune of his compositions extended from Italian courts to Vienna, Dresden, London, Paris and many other cultural centers. The Venetian edition by Antonio Zatta sits at the concluding phase of this extraordinary eighteenth-century fortune, when Metastasio’s works were already considered classics of theatrical poetry. The rich iconographic apparatus serves not only as ornament but offers a real visual interpretation of Metastasio’s dramatic universe. The engravings convey the neoclassical taste and the sentimental sensibility of the era through imaginary architectures, antique costumes, idealized landscapes and scenes of strong emotional intensity. The collection thus serves as an important testimony of the meeting between literature, theater, music and the visual arts in 18th-century Europe.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Pietro Metastasio, pseudonym of Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, was born in Rome on January 3, 1698 and died in Vienna on April 12, 1782. He was one of the greatest Italian poets and librettists of the eighteenth century, universally recognized as the principal reformer of serious melodrama. Gifted with extraordinary poetic abilities from childhood, he was noticed by the writer and jurist Gian Vincenzo Gravina, who welcomed him under his protection and latinized his surname to Metastasio. He received a thorough classical education and initially pursued legal studies, while dedicating himself to poetry. The decisive success arrived in 1724 with Didone abbandonata, staged in Naples with music by Domenico Sarro. In the following years he composed some of his masterpieces of drama, quickly attaining international fame. In 1730 he was called to Vienna as imperial poet at the court of the Habsburgs, a post he held until his death. During his long Viennese sojourn he produced numerous dramas, plays, cantatas and pieces for court ceremonies and performances. His writing is distinguished by formal elegance, balanced dramatic structures and the ability to portray conflicts between love, duty, virtue and the raison d’État. His works were translated into many languages and repeatedly set to music by the leading European composers. Metastasio’s influence on the history of opera and on the theater culture of the eighteenth century was immense and extended well beyond his death.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Pietro Metastasio’s works enjoyed extraordinary editorial diffusion already during the author’s lifetime, with numerous editions published in the main Italian and European centers. The success of the melodramas, constantly revived in theaters and courts, favored the circulation of the texts both in complete collections and in standalone editions intended for spectators and poetry enthusiasts. In the course of the eighteenth century, the collections of works were progressively expanded and revised, up to the prestigious Paris edition of 1780, which incorporated corrections and additions authorized by the author. The Venetian edition of 1781–1783, published by Antonio Zatta, follows this textual arrangement and enriches it with an iconographic apparatus of exceptional breadth. The Venetian publisher, renowned for his ambitious literary and illustrated publications, entrusted the realization of the plates to some of the best engravers in the local artistic milieu. The 118 full-page plates and the numerous headpieces transform the sixteen volumes into a refined figurative gallery dedicated to Metastasio’s theater. The illustrations were produced through copper engravings, a process capable of delivering great precision in architectural details, costumes and the expressions of the characters. The presence of vignettes on the frontispieces, the engraved portrait and decorative apparatus distributed throughout the collection reflect the intention to produce an edition aimed at a cultured and refined public. The relatively small format facilitated consultation and placement in private libraries. The original print run is not precisely documented. The preservation of all sixteen volumes together with the numerous illustrations today constitutes one of the most relevant aspects for antiquarian valuation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
The Venetian edition of Pietro Metastasio’s Works, published by Antonio Zatta between 1781 and 1783, is regarded as one of the most significant illustrated collections of Metastasio’s literary output. The work is traditionally noted for the richness of the copperplate apparatus, the artistic quality of the engravings and the care of the typographic composition. The presence of 118 full-page plates, numerous headpieces and the author’s portrait makes this edition particularly interesting for the study of Venetian book illustration in the late 18th century. The images document the figurative interpretation of musical theater and dramatic poetry in the neoclassical era, while its derivation from the Paris edition of 1780 gives the collection a precise meaning in the history of the transmission of the author’s texts. The edition also represents the activity of Antonio Zatta, one of the most important Venetian publishers of the 18th century, famous for his grand literary, geographical and artistic enterprises. The completeness of the sixteen volumes and the illustrative apparatus constitutes a fundamental element of its bibliographic and collectible interest.