Thomae Caraphae - (MAGIC & OCCULT) In Funere - 1614

Elegitur presents exclusively: IN FUNERE

Very Reverend P. M. Thomas Caraphaeus
Order of Preachers
Oratio
Naples, Ex Typographia Io. Dominici Roncalioli, 1614
With the permission of those in higher authority

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The opera

This rare funeral oration, printed in Naples in 1614, is dedicated to the memory of the Most Reverend Father Master Tommaso Carafa, an eminent figure of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). The oration was publicly delivered in the Neapolitan sacred houses dedicated to San Domenico, a central place for the Dominican spirituality and culture of the city.

The text is a typical example of Baroque encomiastico-funebre literature, a cultured and highly codified genre that celebrated the life, virtues, and spiritual legacy of distinguished religious figures.

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II. The commemorated person: Tommaso Carafa

Belonging to the noble and influential family Carafa, Tommaso was a high-profile religious.
man of theological studies
A prominent figure within the hierarchy of the Order of Preachers.
Esteemed maestro for doctrine, integrity, and discipline.
Active in convent life and spiritual formation.

The Carafa family, already known for producing cardinals, bishops, and politicians, represented one of the great houses of the Kingdom of Naples. Their death therefore caused a significant resonance within the Neapolitan ecclesiastical community.

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The author of the prayer

The text is attributed to Laurentius Biffius Bergomensis, a regular cleric, also a learned and well-educated figure within the Counter-Reformation climate. His oration follows the classic model of funeral laudations, intertwining:
scriptural quotations
patristic references
Examples of the Dominican tradition.
moral and uplifting praise

Prayer thus becomes a tool of memory and at the same time of spiritual formation for the brothers and the listeners.

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IV. The iconography: the engraved skull

The frontispiece is adorned with a powerful carved wood depicting a large memento mori: a skull with two crossed tibiae.

This image — typical of Baroque iconography — serves multiple functions:
recalls the meditation on the transience of life.
Reminds of the fragility of the human condition.
Allude to the Dominican penitential rigor.
It immediately defines the tone of the work as severe and contemplative.

The woodcut block, with remarkable expressive power, is one of the most sought-after features by scholars and collectors of Baroque devotional books.

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V. The Roncalioli Typography

The volume was printed by Giovanni Domenico Roncalioli, active in Naples in the first half of the seventeenth century and known for religious editions, prayers, synodal acts, and spiritual texts.

His editions are distinguished by:
Large and well-spaced characters.
Simple title pages but always containing a distinctive figurative element.
robust card
Simple and functional style suitable for public reading.

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VI. Historical and Cultural Context

The prayer fits into the atmosphere of the Neapolitan Counter-Reformation, a phase during which:
the preaching
the funeral eulogy
uplifting literature

They assumed a central role in religious education.

The Dominicans were among the protagonists of the cultural renewal: guardians of orthodoxy, educators in universities, and active in civic life.

The text perfectly reflects the oratorical style of the early seventeenth century: solemn, theological, rich in pathos and symbols of death.

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VII. Conclusion

This funeral oration for Tommaso Carafa, published in Naples in 1614, is a significant document of the Dominican and Baroque culture of the Kingdom of Naples.

The strong iconography of the frontispiece, the solemnity of the style, and the Neapolitan typographic quality make it a small but valuable example of seventeenth-century funeral literature, highly sought after by collectors of religious, oratorical, and iconographic works from the Counter-Reformation era.

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Collation and state of preservation

The work presents itself in a splendid state of preservation, with minor imperfections on some pages but overall an excellent specimen. The collation is as follows: 19 unnumbered pages.

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