Francesco Bartoli - Notizie istoriche de' comici italiani - 1781

Full title: Historical news of the Italian comedies that flourished around the year 1550 up to the present day. A sought-after, collected, and extended work by Francesco Bartoli, a Bolognese, honorary academic of the Clementine order. Volume One. (In Padua: for the Conzatti at S. Lorenzo, 1782) In the title the year 1550 is expressed: MDL In rustic contemporary binding, cords visible, pages XII, [2], 305, [3] up to the letter L. Measurements 18 x 10 cm. Initials and woodcut ornaments. On a page (apparently editorial) a small white corner is missing without loss. First edition of what is considered the most authoritative source for the history of the commedia dell'arte and of eighteenth-century theater. Bartoli, a playwright and actor, personally knew most of the characters he speaks of. Intriguing engraved frontispiece depicting a mime. Bartoli (1745-1806) spent as many as eight years in composing the work. Splendid copy, of great value and rarity.

Estimate:£381.42

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