Descrizione delle feste celebrate in Parma l’anno MDCCLXIX per le auguste nozze di sua altezza reale l’Infante Don Ferdinando colla reale Arciduchessa Maria Amalia.

Stamperia Reale, Parma, 1769

This monumental festive book is one of the most important and one of the early illustrated books by Giambattista Bodoni.

Description: Contemporary quarter calf with marbled paper covered boards, spine divided into 6 compartments with black morocco label lettered in gilt. Elephantfolio: 60 × 44 cm (paper size); pp. [6], 76. With 1 engraved title page, 36 (well-margined) plates (6 of which are double-page) by Volpato, Ravenet, Bossi, Baratti, etc., 1 vignette on title page, 8 initials and 23 head- and tailpieces.

Ref.: Cohen: 295; De Lama: ii, 4; Giani: 83.

Condition: The binding with some surface abrasions, a bit scuffed and some wear to the spine. Contents with a few minor signs of age and use. Else a very good copy.

Notes: The ‘Descrizione’ was published on the occasion of the wedding of Duke Ferdinand of Bourbon, Infante of Spain, to Maria Amalia of Austria. The engravings show the tournament that formed the centre of the festivities, numerous costumes and coats of arms of the knights as well as the magnificent fireworks set up by Petitot. “The work dates from Bodoni’s early experimental phase and is (...) a vivid example of the starting point of the development of (Bodoni‘s) type and design aesthetics” (Füssel: Handbuch der Typografie. Taschen, 2016). The printing was done in two editions. The present copy contains the text variants of the first edition listed by Giani on p. 29 and of the second edition on pp. 37 and 57. This and the unusually large sheet format (partially untrimmed at the foredge) suggest that this copy is a later binding with still existing printed sheets from the Stamperia Reale.