Marco da Lisbona - Ordini ... di S. Francesco - 1585

FRANCIS, ANTONIO AND CHIARA: THE FRANCISCAN ORIGINS AND THE MEMORY OF THE FIRST FRIARS
A modest volume dedicated to the life of Saint Francis and to the memory of his early companions.
The celebrated Chronicles of Marco da Lisboa in the Italian translation by Orazio Diola.
Two editorial volumes of the first part gathered in a single parchment binding in light leather.
Frontispieces with woodcut engravings, decorative initials, and ancient handwritten annotations.
A copy that preserves, beside the Franciscan history, traces of its own readers.

ABSTRACT
Published in Venice in 1585 by Fioravante Prato, the Chronicles of Marco da Lisboa recount the birth of the Franciscan family through the lives, works, and miracles of its protagonists. Saint Francis forms the center of a narrative that broadens to the first disciples, to the spread of the community, and to the figures who helped define its spiritual identity. The pages dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Clare accompany the founder’s story with other fundamental experiences of Franciscanism.
The tale intertwines historical memory, religious biography, and exemplary episodes, revealing how the sixteenth century read and transmitted the medieval heritage of the Order. Conversions, preaching, poverty, communal life, and testimonies of faith compose a vast repertoire meant for reading, meditation, and religious formation. The Italian translation by Orazio Diola, conducted through the Castilian version by Diego Navarro, testifies to the European circulation of this work.
The copy brings together the two editorial volumes of the first part, organized into ten books. The handwritten annotations, particularly evident on the paper preceding the second frontispiece, add a personal dimension to the print: signs of possession, dates, and writing proofs document the book’s passage through subsequent hands and readings.

WHY TO BUY
The copy’s allure lies in the meeting of content, typographic presentation, and material history. The light parchment with ties, the two frontispieces with woodcut marks, and the decorated initials accompany one of the most representative works of sixteenth-century Franciscan memory. The ancient ownership writings make this copy recognizable and offer an additional reason of interest for collectors of books with religious provenance, hagiography, and testimonies of reading through the past centuries.

MARKET VALUE
Indicative commercial assessment: €650–850. The presence of the two frontispieces, the parchment binding, and the handwritten annotations support its collectible appeal.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Venice, at Fioravante Prato, 1585. Quarto format. Two editorial volumes of the first part gathered in a single physical volume, each with its own frontispiece. Later full parchment binding, smooth spine, pass-through sewing elements, and closing ties. Text chiefly set in two columns, with Roman and italic types, decorated woodcut initials, and typographic ornaments. Woodcut marks on the frontispieces; typographic register and printing date at the end of the second volume. Collation: a–c⁸ A–Q⁸ Aa–Mm⁸ Nn⁴: 252 leaves, equivalent to 504 total pages.
Numerous ancient handwritten annotations on the preliminary pages and near the frontispieces, with additional writing and numbering on the final leaves. Localized foxing and browning, repaired paper at some margins.

In ancient books, with a centuries-long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing includes AI Visualizations. The images are an integral part of the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Marco da Lisboa, Chronicles of the Orders instituted by Father Saint Francis; which contain his life, his death, his miracles, and all his holy disciples and companions. Composed by R.P.F. Marco da Lisboa in the Portuguese language: then reduced to Castilian by R.P.F. Diego Navarro; and translated into our Italian by M. Horatio Diola of Bologna, and now once again printed with utmost diligence corrected. The work is divided into two volumes, and into ten books, with new separate and copious tables. In Venice, at Fioravante Prato, 1585. Followed by Volume Two of the first part, with its own frontispiece of the same edition.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Chronicles contribute to the great work of collecting and transmitting the memory of religious orders in sixteenth-century Europe. The reference to Francis and his companions offered a model of life and a foundation of identity for the Franciscan communities. The narrative made medieval events, hagiographic traditions, and spiritual teachings accessible through a sequence of episodes and biographies. The Italian edition testifies to the role of Venetian printing in disseminating works born on the Iberian Peninsula and destined for an European audience.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Marco da Lisboa, also known as Marcos de Lisboa, was born in 1511 and died in 1591. A Portuguese Franciscan and later Bishop of Porto, he devoted a substantial portion of his activity to collecting the history and traditions of the Order. His Chronicles enjoyed wide diffusion through reprints and translations, contributing to the knowledge of Franciscan origins and the figures that marked its development.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The first part of the work appeared in Portuguese in Lisbon in 1557. Its editorial fortune led to the publication of translations and new editions in several languages. The Venetian impression of 1585 presents on the frontispiece as a revised and corrected reprint of the Italian version by Orazio Diola. The two editorial volumes gathered here belong to the first part, divided into ten books; the overall editorial history of the Chronicles includes further parts and subsequent continuations.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
The two frontispieces, the declaration of the division into ten books, and the concluding register constitute the main elements for identifying the copy. The handwritten annotations document the copy’s history; assigning ownership requires dedicated transcription and verification.

The edition’s identification is confirmed by the consulted catalog; the history of the first publications is corroborated by bibliographic repertoires.