Delle magnificenze di Roma antica e moderna

ROME. Vasi, Giuseppe (1710-1782)

Published by Imprints of various publishers (Chracas, Barbiellini, and Pagliarini), 1747-1761, issued by Mariano Vasi, ca, Roma, 1786

An extremely fine set of these celebrated Roman views drawn and engraved by Giuseppe Vasi, from whom Piranesi learned the art of etching. Bound in original, uniform carta rustica bindings covered with patterned paper. Extremely fresh copies of all 10 books, with broad margins. The plates are all printed on thick paper; the impressions are rich and sharp; on the text leaves, the impressions left by the type are not only easily discerned by touch but are also clearly visible. Like the Getty copy, which is also uniformly bound in patterned boards, and the British ArchitecturalLibrary copy (bound for the library in 1788), this set is a mixed issue, issued ca. 1786 by Vasi's son, Mariano, after Vasi's death (1782). It comprises the unsold sheets of the second edition of Vol. I (printed after 1765, ca. 1770), and reprintings, with minor changes, of Vols. II-X. The set is complete with all 200 numbered engraved plates (as called for) and contains 8 additional plates found in some -but not all- copies (for a full accounting, see Section II below.) All of the volumes have their original publisher information and dates on the title pages. However, Plate 61 from Book IV (first printed in 1754) shows the obelisk at the Piazza Quirinale, where it was erected between 1783 and 1786. A "terminus ante quem" is provided by Plate 23 in Book II (first printed in 1752), which shows an empty plinth in Piazza di Monte Citorio, where an obelisk would later (1789-1792) be erected and restored (later 18th c. editions of the "Magnificenze" show the obelisk in place.) In addition, Plate 41 in Book III (first printed in 1753) shows the Basilica di S. Pietro in Vaticano prior to the addition of Valadier's clocks (added in 1790) which were added in a later state of this etching (See RIBA, Vol. IV, p. 2176, col. 2). The second edition of Volume I was published after 1765 (though the title preserves the original 1747 date), possibly because copies of the first printing had been exhausted by that date. The second edition includes elements that unify the 10 Volumes: "a half-title, 'Monumenti sagri e profani delle quattro eta di Roma .' and a new address to the reader, which speaks of 'dieci libri' rather than of a work 'divisa in due tomi' and refers to the large map of Rome which Vasi published in 1765."(RIBA-BAL) After Vasi's death, his son Mariano took over the firm and issued unsold copies of the "Magnificenze". In this set, a printed slip pasted over the imprint in Vol. I directs the buyer to the Vasi family's print shop, where copies of the book could be purchased in (patterned) carta rustica bindings, "Si trova dall'Autore nella Casa Nuova di Barazzi, presso la Strada della Croce, secondo piano, al prezzo di dieci zecchini, legato in rustico.". This set clearly remained in inventory from 1786 until 1791, when Mariano relocated the family business. Section II: The plates: The set is complete with all 200 numbered engraved plates (as called for), and 8 additional plates found in some copies, as follows: "Obelisco dall'Egitto portato in Roma da Cesare Augusto" at p. xii in Vol. II; "Palazzo Augustale detto Maggiore" at p. viii in Vol. IV; 5 plates in Vol. VII, as follows: "Chiesa di s. Bernardo alle Terme ."(at p. xxx), "Ingresso alla Chiesa di s. Prassede ."(at p. xxxii), "Chiesa di s. Maria alle Fornaci ."(at p. xxxvi), "Portaria del Convento dei PP. Minori Osservanti ."(at p. xlii), and "Chiesa di S. Andrea Apost.lo"(at p. lx); and 1 plate in Vol. IX, "Prospetto verso Mezzo giorno del Collegio di Propaganda Fide" (at p. xvi). Note: In Vol. V, 6 of the numbered plates in the sequence of 200 are printed on text leaves, as always. For a full listing of the subjects of all of the plates, see "Early printed books 1478-1840. Catalogue of the British ArchitecturalLibrary Early Imprints Collection" (RIBA-BAL), Vol. IV, nos. 3389-3398 Vasi's signature appears on all plates as draughtsman and engraver, with a few exceptions: the frontispiece of Bk. I is signed 'Ca. Seller Inventory # 5436

Bibliographic Details

Title: Delle magnificenze di Roma antica e moderna
Publisher: Imprints of various publishers (Chracas, Barbiellini, and Pagliarini), 1747-1761, issued by Mariano Vasi, ca, Roma
Publication Date: 1786
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Fine
Signed: Signed