Habiti d’Huomeni et Donne Venetiane con la Processione della Ser ma Signoria et altri Particolari cioè Trionfi Feste et Cerimonie Publiche della nobilissima città di Venetia.

Venice, Giacomo Franco Forma in Frezzaria al Insegna del Sole con privilegio, s.d. [1610].

Small folio volume.

"1 . (title engraved with same view of Venice than the one for "Habiti delle Donne"), 1 l. not numbered (dedication to Vincent de Gonzague de Mantoue dated 1st January 1610 and printed in roman characters ), 25 plates out of pagination and not numbered.

Those plates represent 34 figures of men and women in very rich Venitian costumes, life scenes,

festivities." (Colas, n° 1108).

360 x 260 mm. Dimensions of the engravings: 258 x 190 mm.

Very rare first edition of one of the most famous books on Venice, its festivities, costumes and activities around 1600.

Colas, Bibliographie Générale du Costume, n°1108, col. 384-5; Katalog Der Freiherrlich Von Lipperheide'schen Kostümbibliothek (repr. 1963), n°1324, p. 527.

"This collection offers great interest in the costumes of Venice during its greatness. It is sought after today especially as it has become extremely rare ". (Vinet, Bibliographie méthodique des Beaux-Arts).

This collection is so rare that Brunet never found a complete copy and only described an incomplete one (Brunet, II, 1378). As for Vinet, he doubts the number of plates, following the number 24 with a "?" (Vinet, col 283, n° 2291).

The copy of the British Museum only contains 20 plates out of 25 and one title leaf is missing.

Title engraved with a birds 'eye view of Venice on an architectural frame, with a view of the Rialto bridge and 24 extremely fine engravings.

The book shows in an extraordinary detailed way the various festivities, processions and past times of the city, as well as great moments in its history.

"Assimilated to the genre of the costume book, the work by Giacomo Franco (1556? - 1620), drawer and engraver born in Venice, also shows engravings of a strong interest for the history of manners and customs of the Serenissima in the 16th and 17th centuries: festivals, entertainment, maritime games, regattas… and carnival. The 1610 edition is probably the first. The number and order of the engravings vary greatly from one edition to another and between copies of the same edition.

The copy is composed of 26 copper plates including one double plate, all, except one, signed by Giacomo Franco. The engraving named Feste che si sogliono fare per la città della caccia del toro, amazzar la Gata col capo raso, pigliar l'anadre, pigliar l'occa nell'acqua et altro features games with animals: a bear fighting with dogs, a tied up cat, a goose being plunged into water, a duck hanging from a mast and a chased bull. Attested since the Middle Ages, bull hunting is a traditional carnival game in the Renaissance, particularly in Rome and Venice". (Virtual exhibition organized by the Mazarine Library Libri italiani lecteurs français, "Balls, festivals and banquets").

"This book of engravings depicts the costumes, festivals, and social life of early seventeenth-century Venetians. There is no text other than a short descriptive sentence at the bottom of each engraving. Major Venetian landmarks are easily recognizable, and the small ovoid map on the title-page is regarded by some scholars as an important example of early Venetian cartography.

Very little is known about the Venetian engraver Giacomo Franco. The son of painter Giovanni-Battista Franco (1510-1561), with whom he began his artistic training at the age of eleven, he worked as a painter, engraver, woodcutter, and dealer in graphics and books. For a while he studied in Bologna with Agostino Carracci (1557-1602). In the early 1580s they opened a private teaching academy that soon became a center for progressive art. In their teaching they laid special emphasis on drawing from life, and clear draughtsmanship became a quality particularly associated with their school.

In 1595 Franco took over his father's workshop and eventually became a well-known publisher. Although he was not documented as belonging to the booksellers' or printers' guilds, he is recorded in 1606 and again in 1619 as belonging to the painters' guild. Franco's determination to be recognized as an artist is reflected in his will, in which he refers to himself as a "designer."

The Habiti d'huomini is a potpourri of depictions of Venetian costumes, processions, and celebrations. Citizens are seen watching regattas, fighting on bridges, conversing in the Piazza San Marco and on the Rialto Bridge, and marching in ceremonial procession into the Doge's Palace with flags flying and horns and flutes playing. Even the ubiquitous laundry is seen hanging on the line in the background. Men with rifles hunt ducks in the lagoon. The Doge's mighty Bucintoro warship returns from battle, escorted by gondolas and saluted by cannon explosions. Carnival, of course, has a page of its own, which depicts citizens in masks, some of whom seem to be making best use of the cover of darkness to contact a prospective lover. The appropriately dressed widow is pictured heavily veiled, and a married gentlewoman has two outfits from which to choose, one for inside the house, another for outside. The men are almost as ornately dressed as the women. The Doge, in his palace wearing fine brocade and a crown, moves his hand in a sort of blessing, as – through a window behind him – life in the Piazza San Marco goes on". (The Boston Athenaeum Museum)

"From the middle of the 15th century, the Venetian institutions came to maturity which allows Venice to parade every week in the fullness of its myth under the eyes of the Venetians and the whole world (Urbi et orbi) - including the Turks and the Chinese. Venice then shows itself united, eternal strong and indestructible. "

One of the great moments of this frenzied proclamation of the political perfection of Venice is the rite of the trionfo - or ducal procession - where hierarchy, order, harmony and collective respect are the characteristics of this state liturgy.

This urban rite, we could even say ritual, is a great moment in the political life - and in the life itself - of Venice. Indeed, the ducal procession is intended to be a proclamation of the cohesion of the State and its strong structure in the eyes of the Venetians as in the eyes of foreigners who will necessarily receive echoes. The Milanese Pietro Casolo, passing through Venice at the end of the 16th century, was impressed by the unchanging - and disciplined - ordering of these Venetian processions:

In my opinion, one man seemed to rule all things and he was obeyed by all, without resistance. It filled me with admiration as I have never seen such a discipline at similar shows.
They walk two by two, behind the doge, in a completely different order from what I have seen in many religious or secular courts where, as soon as the prince has passed, everything goes in all directions and in disorder. Here, in front and behind, everything is as in a perfect order as possible.

The ordering and place of each are not the result of chance but the result of a rigorously thought out and unchanging ceremony. This immutability is demonstrated by the existence of commented engravings, that is to say that the artists note the order of the succession of the characters as an element as perennial as the architectures that frame this ceremony. An example, the engraving of Giacomo Franco which shows us the beginning of the procession which enters the basilica. The frieze arrangement evokes the Roman triumphs of the Ara Pacis or Trajan's Column." (Marie-Viallon, The Ducal procession in Venice).

Français :

Venice, Giacomo Franco Forma in Frezzaria al Insegna del Sole con privilegio, s.d. [1610].

Petit in-folio.

" 1 f. (titre gravé avec la même vue de Venise que pour " Habiti delle Donne "), 1 f. non chiffr. (dédicace à Vincent de Gonzague de Mantoue datée du 1er janvier 1610 et imprimée en caractères romains), 25 planches h. t. gr. non chiffr.

Ces planches portent 34 figures d'hommes et de dames dans de très riches costumes vénitiens, des scènes de mœurs, des réjouissances. " (Colas, n° 1108).

Le présent exemplaire compte 1 titre gravé avec vue de Venise et 24 planches portant 30 figures d'hommes et de dames ; manquent le feuillet de dédicace et une planche portant 4 figures mais le nombre et l'ordonnancement des gravures sont très variables entre les exemplaires d'une même édition (" this fine collection of detailed views and scenes of Venetian life and costume was issued with varying numbers of plates "). Qq. rousseurs en marge du frontispice. Le tout monté sur grand papier et relié vers 1850 par Duru en demi-maroquin rouge à coins.

360 x 260 mm. Dimensions des gravures : 258 x 190 mm.

Edition originale rarissime de l'un des livres les plus célèbres sur Venise, ses fêtes, costumes et activités vers l'année 1600.

Colas, Bibliographie Générale du Costume, n°1108, col. 384-5; Katalog Der Freiherrlich Von Lipperheide'schen Kostümbibliothek (repr. 1963), n°1324, p. 527.

" Ce recueil offre un grand intérêt pour les costumes de Venise pendant sa grandeur. On le recherche aujourd'hui d'autant plus qu'il est devenu d'une extrême rareté ". (Vinet, Bibliographie méthodique des Beaux-Arts).

Ce recueil est si rare que Brunet n'a jamais rencontré d'exemplaire complet et ne décrit qu'un exemplaire incomplet (Brunet, II, 1378). Quant à Vinet, il doute du nombre de planches, faisant suivre le chiffre 24 d'un " ? " (Vinet, col 283, n° 2291).

L'exemplaire du British Museum ne contient que 20 planches sur 25 et il manque le feuillet de titre.

Titre gravé avec vue à vol d'oiseau de Venise dans un cartouche architectural, surmonté d'une vue sur le pont du Rialto et 24 gravures extrêmement fines.

Le livre montre avec un détail extraordinaire les différentes festivités, processions et temps passés de la ville, ainsi que de grands moments de son histoire.

" Assimilé au genre du livre de costumes, l'ouvrage de Giacomo Franco (1556 ?- 1620), dessinateur et graveur né à Venise, montre également des gravures d'un fort intérêt pour l'histoire des mœurs et coutumes de la Sérénissime aux XVIe et XVIIe siècles : fêtes, divertissements, joutes maritimes, régates… et carnaval. L'édition de 1610 est probablement la première. Le nombre et l'ordonnancement des gravures sont très variables d'une édition à l'autre et entre les exemplaires d'une même édition.

L'exemplaire exposé comporte 26 planches gravées sur cuivre dont une double planche, toutes, sauf une, signées de Giacomo Franco. La gravure intitulée Feste che si sogliono fare per la città della caccia del toro, amazzar la Gata col capo raso, pigliar l'anadre, pigliar l'occa nell'acqua et altro met en scène des jeux avec des animaux : un ours se battant avec des chiens, un chat ligoté, une oie que l'on plonge dans l'eau, un canard accroché à un mât et un taureau pourchassé. Attestée depuis le Moyen Âge, la chasse au taureau est un jeu traditionnel du carnaval à la Renaissance, en particulier à Rome et à Venise ". (Exposition virtuelle organisée par la Bibliothèque Mazarine, Libri italiani lecteurs français, " Bals, fêtes et banquets ").

"This book of engravings depicts the costumes, festivals, and social life of early seventeenth-century Venetians. There is no text other than a short descriptive sentence at the bottom of each engraving. Major Venetian landmarks are easily recognizable, and the small ovoid map on the title-page is regarded by some scholars as an important example of early Venetian cartography.

Very little is known about the Venetian engraver Giacomo Franco. The son of painter Giovanni-Battista Franco (1510-1561), with whom he began his artistic training at the age of eleven, he worked as a painter, engraver, woodcutter, and dealer in graphics and books. For a while he studied in Bologna with Agostino Carracci (1557-1602). In the early 1580s they opened a private teaching academy that soon became a center for progressive art. In their teaching they laid special emphasis on drawing from life, and clear draughtsmanship became a quality particularly associated with their school.

In 1595 Franco took over his father's workshop and eventually became a well-known publisher. Although he was not documented as belonging to the booksellers' or printers' guilds, he is recorded in 1606 and again in 1619 as belonging to the painters' guild. Franco's determination to be recognized as an artist is reflected in his will, in which he refers to himself as a "designer."

The Habiti d'huomini is a potpourri of depictions of Venetian costumes, processions, and celebrations. Citizens are seen watching regattas, fighting on bridges, conversing in the Piazza San Marco and on the Rialto Bridge, and marching in ceremonial procession into the Doge's Palace with flags flying and horns and flutes playing. Even the ubiquitous laundry is seen hanging on the line in the background. Men with rifles hunt ducks in the lagoon. The Doge's mighty Bucintoro warship returns from battle, escorted by gondolas and saluted by cannon explosions. Carnival, of course, has a page of its own, which depicts citizens in masks, some of whom seem to be making best use of the cover of darkness to contact a prospective lover. The appropriately dressed widow is pictured heavily veiled, and a married gentlewoman has two outfits from which to choose, one for inside the house, another for outside. The men are almost as ornately dressed as the women. The Doge, in his palace wearing fine brocade and a crown, moves his hand in a sort of blessing, as – through a window behind him – life in the Piazza San Marco goes on". (The Boston Athenaeum Museum)

" Dès le milieu du XVe siècle, les institutions vénitiennes sont parvenues à maturité ce qui permet à Venise de parader chaque semaine dans la plénitude de son mythe sous les yeux des Vénitiens et du monde entier (Urbi et orbi) - y compris les Turcs et les Chinois. Venise se montre alors unie, forte éternelle et indestructible. "

Un des grands moments de cette proclamation forcenée de la perfection politique de Venise est le rite du trionfo - ou procession ducale - où hiérarchie, ordre, harmonie et respect collectif se veulent les caractéristiques de cette liturgie d'État.

Ce rite, voire rituel, urbain est un grand moment de la vie politique - et de la vie, tout court - de Venise. En effet, la procession ducale se veut une proclamation de la cohésion de l'État et de sa forte structuration aux yeux des Vénitiens comme aux yeux des étrangers qui en recevront nécessairement des échos. Le milanais Pietro Casolo, de passage à Venise à la fin du XVIe siècle, a été impressionné par l'ordonnancement immuable - et discipliné - de ces processions vénitiennes :

Selon moi, un seul homme semblait ordonner toutes choses et il était obéi de tous, sans résistance. Cela m'a rempli d'admiration car je n'ai jamais assisté à une telle discipline lors de spectacles similaires. Ils marchent deux par deux, derrière le doge, dans un ordre tout différent de ce que j'ai vu dans de nombreuses cours religieuses ou profanes où, dès que le prince est passé, tout part dans tous les sens et en désordre. Ici, devant et derrière, tout est aussi parfaitement en ordre que possible.

L'ordonnancement et la place de chacun ne sont pas le fruit du hasard mais le résultat d'un cérémonial rigoureusement pensé et immuable. Cette immuabilité est démontrée par l'existence de gravures commentées c'est-à-dire que les artistes notent l'ordre de la succession des personnages comme un élément aussi pérenne que les architectures qui encadrent cette cérémonie. Un exemple, la gravure de Giacomo Franco qui nous montre le début de la procession qui entre dans la basilique. L'ordonnancement en frise évoque les triomphes romains de l'Ara pacis ou de la colonne Trajane. " (Marie-Viallon, La procession ducale à Venise).

Précieux et bel exemplaire provenant de la bibliothèque du XIXe siècle A. Brölemann avec ex-libris.