ZANETTI, Antonio Maria - Lot 61

ZANETTI, Antonio Maria Le Gemme antiche. Aemmae antiquae Venice, Giambatista Albrizzi, 1750 REMARKABLE COPY WITH PRINTED CATALOG AND COMPLETE SET OF ORIGINAL DRAWINGS BY ANTONIO ZANETTI FOR THE SAME CATALOG. VERY IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE GEMS. ORIGINAL EDITION 2 volumes in-4 (340 x 252 mm). Two title pages, printed in red and black, in Latin and Italian. That of the drawing volume, calligraphed in pen, reads: Dactyliotheca Ant. M. Zanetti [probably Venice, 1749-1750]. Text by Antonio Francesco Gori (1691-1757), on two columns, in Latin and Italian. Numerous engraved vignettes in various formats PRINTED ON very thick laid paper for the text volume COLLATION of printed volume: 8 ff. n. o.c., 148 pp. 4 ff. n. o.c. ILLUSTRATION: large engraved title and 80 hors-texte plates after drawings by the Venetian engraver and collector Antonio Maria Zanetti (1680-1757), depicting items from his own collection ADDED ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION: title drawn in brown ink and gray wash (ca. 250 x 145mm) and 80 ORIGINAL DRAWINGS by Antonio Maria Zanetti (ca. 95 x 80mm) corresponding to the engravings, all in pencil and gray or brown wash, some heightened in brown ink, and all mounted on large white leaves. The drawings are bound in the same order as the engravings, and are mostly of the same format. ENGLISH BINDINGS OF THE PERIOD. Red morocco, framed with gilded fillets, ornate ribbed spine, gilded edges. PROVENANCE : Erasmus Philipps -- Hans Calmann (1899-1982; Hamburg-born, London-based dealer in antique drawings; note on endpaper) -- Arthur & Charlotte Vershbow (bookplate; New York, IV, October 29, 2013, no. 763), acquired from Colnaghi in 1980 Minimal chips to spine "Antonio Maria Zanetti, the Venetian engraver, connoisseur, and collector of engraved gems, provided the drawings for this sumptuously illustrated account of classical and modern gems in his own collection in Venice. The description of the gems are by Antonio Francesco Gori (1691-1757), who had also worked with him on the Delle Antiche Statue Greche e Romane che nell'Antisala della Libreria di San Marco, e in altri luoghi pubblici di Venezia si trovano. Zanetti enjoyed showing his collection to visitors, and some mistakenly thought the Gemme antichi was a deluxe sale catalog and made offers for the gems. Zanetti refused to entertain any offers until the Duke of Marlborough offered to pay 1200 zecchini for four of his gems, which Zanetti excepted. Piranesi incorporated four gems from Zanetti's collection (plates 37, 33, 65 and 67) in his preparatory drawing of his Parere su l'Architettura" (Christie's, Vershbow Catalogue). Another set of drawings used for the book's engravings is preserved, along with numerous cameos from the Zanetti collection, at the Correr Museum in Venice. The most important gem in the Zanetti collection was a black cameo depicting Emperor Hadrian's favorite, Antinous, as a hunter (figure XXII). It is said that Zanetti was so keen to acquire it that he was prepared to sell his house. The cameo later joined the collection of George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, and earned the nickname "Marlborough gem". It was recently offered for sale (New York, April 29, 2019, lot 37, $2,115,000). BIBLIOGRAPHY : Lettere artistiche del Settecento veneziano: Anton Maria Zanetti, Venice, M. Magrini ed. 2019 -- Diana Scarisbrick: "A. M. Zanetti and the Althorp Leopard, Apollo, Nov. 1979, pp. 425 and "Piranesi and the Dactyliotheca Zanettiana", Burlington Magazine, June 1992, pp. 413-414