MALVASIA, Carlo Cesare - Lot 42

MALVASIA, Carlo Cesare Felsina Pittrice Vite de Pittori bolognesi alla Maesta Christianissima di Luigi XIIII Bologna, Per l'Erede di Domenico Barbieri [by the heir of Domenico Barbieri], 1678 A SUPERB GIFT AND DEDICATION COPY: OFFERED AND BOUND FOR LOUIS XIV, THE WORK'S DEDICATEE, AT THE AUTHOR'S INSTIGATION. MALVASIA, BIOGRAPH OF THE PAINTERS OF BOLOGNA, IS CONSIDERED ONE OF VASARI'S SUCCESSORS IN THE XVIIth CENTURY AND ONE OF THE FATHERS OF ART HISTORY. BEAUTIFUL ITALIAN BINDINGS WITH EMBLEMATTIC DECOR AND GILDED PAPER GUARDS WITH THE FIGURE OF LOUIS XIV ORIGINAL EDITION 2 volumes in-4 (235 x 167mm). Engraved initials, headbands and tailpieces. Some letters in the title have been illuminated: Luigi XIIII... Il sempre vittorioso. The author dedicated this work to Louis XIV, who presented him with a diamond portrait in gratitude. COLLATION: (vol. 1): a-b4 A-Z 2A-Z 3A-D4; (vol. 2): π2 A-G4 H4.2 I-Z4 2A-Z 3A-Z 4A-G4 ILLUSTRATION: (vol. 1): engraved title, one hors-texte plate, 45 full-page woodcut portraits, numerous engraved vignettes depicting paintings by Agostino Carracci, plate of the painter's family tree; (vol. 2): 26 woodcut portrait plates, a total of 71 portraits ITALIAN BINDINGS STRICTLY OF THE PERIOD. Red morocco, emblematic gilt decoration, large central sunburst motif, fleur-de-lys framed with various crown motifs, gilt inscription on boards: (vol.1): Sic ornat diademate crines on upper board, Sic geminat Splendore diem on lower board, (vol. 2): Has iungit et auget on upper board, and Utraque refulget on lower board, highly ornate ribbed spines, REMARKABLE GILDED PAPER GUARDS with royal "L" and fleur-de-lys motif, gilt edges. PROVENANCE: Achille Genty, man of letters (1826-1870; bookplate) -- ducs de Montmorency, branche de Fosseux, at Château de Courtalain, then by descent (Paris, October 14, 2022, lot 37) Scratches on upper cover of second volume Carlo Cesare Malvasia (1616-1693) was the great art historian of Bologna. Following in Vasari's footsteps in Florence, his Pitture focuses on the exemplary figures of the artists who formed the "Bolognese school". The work is divided into four parts: research on the painters who worked in Bologna before the Renaissance; the origin and history of the Bologna school of painting; the lives of the famous Carracci family and those of other painters including Guido Reni, Le Dominiquin and Le Guerchin. This superb gift copy was presented to Louis XIV. The binding, executed in Italy, features a large sunburst decoration and bears a motto praising the glory of the King of France: "Sic ornat diademate crines ; sic geminat splendore diem. Has iungit et auget utraque refulget" [Thus, he adorns his hair with a diadem; doubling the brightness of the day. He joins and increases these two suns and still governs them]. Two other examples of presents to Louis XIV with similar binding decorations are known. One is in the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Res-K-693), in red morocco, and the other in the Houghton Library (Typ 625.78.552), in calf. To thank Malvasia, Louis XIV presented him with his portrait-medallion set with numerous diamonds (preserved in Palazzo Pepoli Vecchio, Bologna). This gift from the Sun King was the greatest honorary sign an artist could receive from the King of France. Having been offered such a portrait, Le Brun did not fail to display it on the self-portrait he painted for the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III (Florence, Uffizi, no. 1858). BIBLIOGRAPHY : Stefano Benassi, "Les origines de l'Accademia Clementina", in Les Fins de la peinture, Paris, 1990 -- Jeanne-Marie Métivier, "La reliure à la Bibliothèque du roi de 1672 à 1786" in Mélanges autour de l'histoire des livres imprimés et périodiques, Paris, BnF, 1998 -- Marc Fumaroli, L'École du silence. Le sentiment des images au XVIIe siècle, Paris, 1994, p. 220, fig. 94 WEBOGRAPHY : for the Harvard copy: https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/ids:30527555 CATALOGUE CORRECTION: The motto "Utraque refulget" on the binding is translated as "il resplendit de leur double éclat" ("it shines with their double brilliance").