Author: Luís de Camões / art by Gouvea Portuense - Os Lusíadas - The Lusiads - 1972

A magnificent 1972 edition, commemorative of the 400th anniversaty of the 1st edition of "Os Lusíadas", lavishly and brilliantly illustrated with original color drawings by the painter Gouvêa Portuense.

The illustrations include a full-length portrait of the poet, a bust portrait, intricate designs at the beginning of each canto, decorative initials for every eight-line stanza (octave) of the poem, illustrations accompanying various stanzas throughout each canto, full-page depictions of key episodes from the poem—including scenes featuring Vasco da Gama, the Viceroys of India, and the friars of the Order of Saint Dominic—and, on the final unnumbered page, a portrait of the young King Sebastian I. The technical direction was overseen by Armando Teixeira Alves, who was responsible for the book’s elaborate graphic production.

Bound in the publisher’s full padded leather, featuring gilt and colored tooling on the spine and front cover; housed in a crimson cardboard slipcase.

Also included are facsimile reproductions of the title page from the first edition (featuring the pelican facing left), the Royal privilege, and the ecclesiastical approval granted by Friar Bartolomeu Ferreira.

Discreet previous owner's signature on first page.