Manuzio / Pontano - [Post Incunable] De Amori Coniugali - 1518

Pontano and Aldino's Dream Among Love, Tombs, and Shepherds: Venice in Its Golden Age
This 1518 Aldine incunabulum, containing Giovanni Pontano's poetic works, condenses into a single small chest the refined heritage of Neapolitan humanism and the typographical perfection of the Manuzio workshop in its now twilight period. The book is a gesture of transition: Pontano's poetic order, with his Amores, his funeral compositions, and his pastoral eclogues, is handed over to Venetian printing precisely as the classical tradition—upon which it constantly draws—is closing in an almost magical balance between philological erudition, lyrical grace, and self-representation of an unrepeatable era. The inclusion, curated by Pontano himself, of the eclogues by Calpurnio Siculo and Aurelio Nemesiano reinforces the syncretic identity of the work: a miniature library, a bridge between worlds, and a tangible testament to the ambition with which the heirs Aldo and Torresano consolidated the Latin canon in the early 16th century.
Market value
The market records a very limited presence of complete copies of the 1518 Aldine edition of the Pontaniana poetic works; it is a not frequently issued print run, often missing the final blank pages. Copies like this, in good antique binding and with an intact Aldine mark, typically reach high values, between 2,500 and 4,500 euros. Recent prices for comparable copies, when available, generally fall within the upper range of the sixteenth-century Aldine market, with a strong increase for specimens with ancient provenance and good preservation.

Physical description and condition
18th-century full leather binding with marbled pages, decorated spine with friezes and gilt title, red edges, some initials rubricated in red. Aldina brand with anchor and dolphin on the title page and colophon. Old ownership notes erased on the title page; occasional contemporary annotations in the margins. Pages (2); 340; 4nn; (2).

Full title and author
On Conjugal Love. Tumulorum II. Aurelius Nemesianus Eclogues.
In Venice, at the house of Aldi and Andreae Soceri, 1518.
Giovanni Pontano

Context and Significance
The volume gathers some Latin poetic works by Giovanni Pontano, a central figure of Southern humanism and the driving force behind the Pontaniana Academy. The books Amores and Tumulorum represent one of the rare Renaissance attempts to revitalize Latin elegy according to a model that was both Ovidian and personal, while the eclogues complete a poetic framework based on the integrated imitation of the classics. The importance of the edition also lies in the transmission of the Eclogues by Calpurnius Siculus and Aurelius Nemesianus, carefully edited and philologically restored by Pontano himself; this makes it a document of primary importance for the Renaissance circulation of pastoral poetry. From a typographical perspective, it is one of the last manifestations of full continuity with the Aldine legacy, before the stylistic and productive change brought about by the Torresano-Manuzio typography in the second half of the century.

Biography of the Author
Giovanni Pontano (1429-1503), a humanist, Latin poet, and secretary of the Aragonese court in Naples, was one of the most influential figures of Southern Humanism. His work spans poetry, moral philosophy, political treatises, and astrology. A refined connoisseur of Latin elegy, he founded and led the Pontaniana Academy, significantly contributing to the development of a poetic and intellectual model that profoundly influenced Italian culture in the Quattrocento and early Cinquecento.

Printing history and circulation
Printed by the heirs of Aldo Manuzio and Andrea Torresano, the 1518 edition belongs to the posthumous phase of Aldine activity, when the workshop continued to leverage the prestige of the Manuzio typographic plant with high-quality print runs that were more limited. It is the first and only Aldine edition of Pontano's poetic works and is also considered important for the transmission of the Latin pastoral texts by Calpurnius and Nemesianus. The original circulation, mainly intended for scholars and humanist collectors, is now rare on the antiquarian market and particularly sought after in its complete physical form.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Aldini catalogs and bibliographic descriptions
– Renouard, Antoine-Augustin. Annales de l’imprimerie des Alde. Paris: Renouard, 1834, vol. I, p. 139, n. 5 (direct reference to the 1518 edition).
– Ahmanson-Murphy, Blanche et al. The Aldine Press: Catalogue of the Ahmanson-Murphy Collection of Books by or Related to the Press in the Library of the University of California, Los Angeles. Berkeley–Los Angeles–London: University of California Press, 2001. For 1518: pp. 284–285 (Aldine Press 518.1).
– BM STC (Italian Books 1465–1600), British Museum Short-Title Catalogue, London, 1958: see entry Pontanus 492.
Adams, Herbert Mayow. Catalogue of Books Printed on the Continent of Europe, 1501–1600, in the Cambridge University Library. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967: P-1921.
– EDIT16: National Census of Italian Editions of the 16th Century. Record IT\\ICCU\\VEAE\\010815 (Aldine edition 1518).
– OCLC / WorldCat: record no. 45735762 (institutions with digitized or collated copies).