Diptycha tria consularia quae in Florentinis museis extant observationibus clarorum virorum et Ant. Francisci Gori inlustrata
Publisher Information: Florence: Alibiziniana, 1755.
Gori, Antonio Francesco (1691-1757). Diptycha tria consularia quae in florentinis museis exstant . . . [2], 50pp. 3 engraved plates, engraved title vignette. Florence: Ex officina Albiziniana, 1755. 400 x 262 mm. Vellum ca. 1755, gilt-lettered spine, a bit warped, light soiling and wear. Minor soiling and dampstaining, corners of a few leaves repaired, small lacuna in corner of F2, but very good. Stamp on title reading “Ex museo marchs de Sterlich”; beneath that two inscriptions: “Donato dal Sig:r Marchese de Sterlich al Dottore D. Gennaro Durino” and “Dal D. Alesandro Durini donato a Camillo Saraceni a 20 9bre 1827.”
First Edition, and scarce, with no copies listed in OCLC. A scholarly treatise on consular diptychs in Florentine museums, compiled by Gori from texts written by several authors (including Bernard de Montfaucon), and illustrated with three full-page engravings. A diptych is a pair of linked or hinged panels, generally made of ivory, wood or metal, and ornamented with rich sculpted decoration. Consular diptychs, which date from Late Antiquity (third – eighth centuries CE), are largely products of the Byzantine Empire; they were deluxe commemorative objects commissioned by a consul to mark his selection to that post.
Gori, a Florentine priest, was a founding member of a circle of antiquarians and connoisseurs called the Società Colombaria, the predecessor of the Accademia Toscana di Scienze e Lettere la Colombaria. His many writings on Roman antiquities formed part of the foundation of 18th-century Neoclassicism. Gori dedicated this work to Romualdo de Sterlich (1712-88), a philosopher who helped introduce the French Enlightenment to Italy; he was also a book collector who created one of the largest private libraries in Italy. The stamp on the title-page of our copy indicates that it came from Sterlich’s library; it was given by Sterlich to Gennaro Durini, and later by Alessandro Durini to Camillo Saraceni.
Book Id: 43576Price: $950.00