Venice, 1497
612 pages, woodcuts

Dante Alighieri: Divine Comedy
With the commentary of Christophoro Landino

Incunabula

printes 1497 in Venive by Pietro Quarengi, 11 October 1497
Edited by Pietro de la Figino

6th edition, illustrated, in Italien language

612 pages with one full page woodcut und 99 woodcuts in text
46 lines of text and 60-61 lines commentary
first page of Inferno within woodcut ornamental border (four blocks)
more than two-hundred white-on-black decorative initials

a10, 2a-z8 &8 A-K8 L-M10 N6 [-2a1, -N6]
pagination verso; [10], [II] - CCXCVII leaves (612 pages)

collophone on N5r

2 leaves are missing (last unnumbered page N6 ,wich is empty except the "Registrum" recto and 2a1 with the full page woodcut verso, but supplied in good facsimile) otherwise complete

Folio, Cover 21x29,5 cm, textblock 20x28,5 cm
Bound in leather, about 1850, with floral gilt stamping , edges a little damadged, cover a little worn, rubbed, stained, edges of textblock a little colores an stained, endpapers renewed, pages a little yellowed, stained, some fingerprints, some spots of ink, some crinkles, some underlinings and notes title page with handwritten notes of former owners (owner remarks) in dark ink, about 2 cm of the lower margin of the title page cut off (no loss of text), repairs und the lower and inner margin page 2a also rapaired on the outer and inner margin, some small holes and repairs (loss of text)
2a7 also repaired on the lower margin
r3 lacks a piece at the right lower corner (loss of text)
small piece lost on M (no loss of text)
N3-6 with some repairs (loss of text)

Dantes text surrounded by Landinos commentary
Additionally Italian Versions of "Credo", "Pater Noster" and "Ave Maria"
Introductorily Landinos "Vitae e costume del poeta"
Also included Marsilio Ficino`s preface "Ad Dantem gratualtio" in Latin and Italian (a9), first published 1481 (Florence edition)

Woodcuts of the Petrus Cremonensis Edition from 18. Nov. 1491, decorativ border of 1st "Inferno" page of the 1493 Capcasa edition.

Cristoforo Landino (1424- 1498) was a humanist and an important figure of the Florentine Renaissance. He studied law and Greek, then decided to study philosophy ( patronage of Piero di Cosimo de' Medici). Landino was a member of the Platonic Academy founded by Marsilio Ficino in Florence. He was the tutor of Lorenzo de' Medici and his brother Giuliano. Landino also held public office, first as chancellor of the Guelf party (1467) and later as scriptor of public letters for the Signoria.He wrote three works framed as philosophical dialogues: De anima De vera nobilitate and the Disputationes Camaldulenses. As the lady "Xandra" Landino published three volumes of Latin poems.Of special importance to the Renaissance, Landino prepared commentaries on the Aeneid and The Divine Comedy .To promote the use of vernacular Italian, Landino held lectures on Petrarch and translated and published Pliny's Historia naturalis) and Giovanni Simonetta's Latin life of Francesco Sforza .

Dante Alighieri: (1265 - 1321) Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia (The Divine Comedy). Dante's Divine Comedy, a great work of medieval literature, is a profound Christian vision of man's temporal and eternal destiny. On its most personal level, it draws on the poet's own experience of exile from his native city of Florence; on its most comprehensive level, it may be read as an allegory, taking the form of a journey through hell, purgatory, and paradise. By choosing to write his poem in Italian rather than in Latin, Dante decisively influenced the course of literary development. Italian became the literary language in western Europe for several centuries. In addition to poetry Dante wrote important theoretical works ranging from discussions of rhetoric to moral philosophy and political thought.
Sources: Wikipedia, biography.com

GW 7972. HC 5953 = H 5945. Pell 4119, 4119A. Pr 5482. IBP 1839. IGI 366. BAV-Inc D-16. BMC V 513. BSB-Ink D-11. Goff D-35. ISTC id00035000