L. Ariosto - ORLANDO FURIOSO [A. Zatta] - 1785

Italian Poetry Anthology

ORLANDO FURIOSO by Lodovico Ariosto
Venice, at Antonio Zatta e Figli, 1785
5 complete volumes (vols. XVIII-XXII of the Italian Par­naso)
Format: 8vo (165 × 108 mm).
Pages: (8), 328; (8), 396; (8), 379; (8), 339, (1); (8), 452.

Contemporary binding in half leather with marbled boards, spines with raised bands, light leather inlays and gilt titles (“Orlando Furioso T. I-V” and “Parnaso Italiano 18-22”), gilded ribbons and borders.

Contents and illustrations
Celebrated Venetian edition of the Ariostean masterpiece, curated by Andrea Rubbi and included in the prestigious Par­naso Italiano series, i.e., a collection of Italian classical poets… adorned with copper engravings. Each tome opens with a copper-engraved title page bearing the portrait of Ariosto within a circular medallion. At the beginning of each canto there is a fine copper-engraved vignette, by the engravers Cristoforo Dall’Acqua, Giuseppe Daniotto and Gianantonio Zuliani, illustrating the poem’s most famous episodes (battle scenes, amorous encounters, magical prodigies, pastoral landscapes). The text has been carefully revised and corrected by the abbots Allegrini and Garlatto.
The fifth volume also includes the Five Cantos attributed to Ariosto.

Significance and rarity
Zatta’s Par­naso Italiano (1784–1791 approx.) is one of the most ambitious and highly regarded publishing undertakings of 18th‑century Venice: a vast anthology of Italian classics, printed with remarkable typographic clarity and enriched by a richly illustrated apparatus. Orlando Furioso occupies volumes 18–22 and is among the most sought-after sections of the series for the quality of the engravings and the overall elegance of the edition.

Complete copies of the five volumes are today rather rare on the market, especially in an era‑consistent binding.

The 1785 Zatta edition ranks among the most graceful and carefully prepared renderings of the poem in the late eighteenth century, intermediate between the great illustrated editions that preceded it (such as Zatta’s own 1772–73 edition in a larger format) and the later more modest reprints.

Condition
Bindings show signs of use and wear typical of the period but are still solid and presentable. Interiors generally fresh and readable, with natural yellowing of the paper and occasional foxing. Volume I shows worming tracks in the lower part of the pages that do not affect the text. The engravings are generally crisp and well printed.

A complete and attractive exemplar of this elegant illustrated Venetian edition, particularly appreciated by collectors of eighteenth‑century Italian literature and illustrated books.