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Lusiada Italiana. Translated by Carlo Antonio Paggi. Lisbon: Henrico Valente de Oliveira, 1658.
Details
CAMÕES, Luis de (c.1524-1580)
Lusiada Italiana. Translated by Carlo Antonio Paggi. Lisbon: Henrico Valente de Oliveira, 1658.
First edition in Italian of Camões’s epic celebrating Vasco da Gama’s discovery of a sea route to India. This translation of The Lusiads is strongly tied to diplomatic relations between Portugal and other nations. Carlo Antonio Paggi composed it while living in Portugal as a consul for the Genoese government. His well-received translation proved vital for advancing his diplomatic interests, including Genoa’s trading relationship with Portugal and, most crucially, Genoa’s access to the East Indies. Paggi’s dedication of the translation to Pope Alexander VII was a clear expression of gratitude for the recent appointment of his brother Giovambattista as the Bishop of Brugnato. While Paggi’s translation was largely a tribute to Portuguese national pride, he could not resist rewriting a passage regarding the discovery of the Americas to acknowledge the contribution of the Genoese Christopher Coloumbus (stanza X. 139). Cf. N. Alessandrini, ‘Carlo Antonio Paggi a Lisbona (1656-1666) un Approccio allo Studio delle Relazioni Diplomatiche fra Genova e il Portogallo’, Lisbon: 2015,126. Pinto de Mattos, Manual Bib. Portuguez, p. 110.
12mo (129 x 70mm). Additional engraved title-page, decorative woodcut initials (some spotting and browning throughout). Early flexible vellum titled in ink on spine, title written along top foredges (recased, retaining one repaired endleaf, repair on rear cover). Provenance: João Marinho (bookplate) – José Mindlin (1914 -2010; bookplate).
Lusiada Italiana. Translated by Carlo Antonio Paggi. Lisbon: Henrico Valente de Oliveira, 1658.
First edition in Italian of Camões’s epic celebrating Vasco da Gama’s discovery of a sea route to India. This translation of The Lusiads is strongly tied to diplomatic relations between Portugal and other nations. Carlo Antonio Paggi composed it while living in Portugal as a consul for the Genoese government. His well-received translation proved vital for advancing his diplomatic interests, including Genoa’s trading relationship with Portugal and, most crucially, Genoa’s access to the East Indies. Paggi’s dedication of the translation to Pope Alexander VII was a clear expression of gratitude for the recent appointment of his brother Giovambattista as the Bishop of Brugnato. While Paggi’s translation was largely a tribute to Portuguese national pride, he could not resist rewriting a passage regarding the discovery of the Americas to acknowledge the contribution of the Genoese Christopher Coloumbus (stanza X. 139). Cf. N. Alessandrini, ‘Carlo Antonio Paggi a Lisbona (1656-1666) un Approccio allo Studio delle Relazioni Diplomatiche fra Genova e il Portogallo’, Lisbon: 2015,126. Pinto de Mattos, Manual Bib. Portuguez, p. 110.
12mo (129 x 70mm). Additional engraved title-page, decorative woodcut initials (some spotting and browning throughout). Early flexible vellum titled in ink on spine, title written along top foredges (recased, retaining one repaired endleaf, repair on rear cover). Provenance: João Marinho (bookplate) – José Mindlin (1914 -2010; bookplate).
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Eugenio Donadoni
Senior Specialist, Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts