ARETINO Pietro [Ragionamenti]. La prima [seconda] parte de Ragionamenti di M. Pietro Aretino… Divisa in tre giornate… Doppo le quali habbiamo aggiunto il piacevol ragionamento del Zoppino… [Suivi de :] Commento di Ser Agretso [sic] da Ficaruolo, sopra la prima Ficata del Padre Siceo. Con la Diceria de Nasi.

Caswell (Cluzel), 16 ; Casi, 160 ; Edit16, CNCE 2485 : “circa 1600” ; Brunet, I, 411 ; Woodfield, B-13 ; Pia, 1229-1230 : suggests 1649 as year of printing.

Fine edition, published in Amsterdam at the beginning of the 17^th century.

It contains, other than the first two parts of the famous and scandalous Ragionamenti by l’Aretino (1492-1556), the equally scandalous dialogue between the priest Zoppino and Luigi “puttaniere”, attributed to Aretino but the work of the respectable Annibale Caro (1507-1566), translateur of Aeneas and one of the best letter writers of his time.

This sammelband, with the date 1584 is in reality the reproduction of an edition given by John Wolf in London at the end of the 1580’s. According to Caswell the initials used in this edition suggest a production from the printing press of Jan Jansson made between 1616 et 1628.

“Le sujet des Ragionamenti est souvent scabreux et crûment traité ; mais l’admirable désinvolture du récit, la richesse du style, l’attitude de certains personnages et les mots à double sens en font une œuvre pleine de vie. Sa fantaisie débridée répond, d’ailleurs, à une parfaite sincérité. Ici, l’on est loin de tout pédantisme comme de toute hypocrisie. Cet ouvrage fameux est un admirable tableau de mœurs que gouverne la satire : la nature s’y trouve prise sur le fait. Entendez la corruption, la luxure et autres vices qui régnaient au XVIe siècle dans toutes les classes, ou peu s’en faut, de la société romaine” (Dictionnaire des œuvres).

Provenance : 

A delightful copy preserved in an elegant glazed calf binding bearing five Brittany ermines on the covers and the number BB repeated on the spine. The former owner of this copy could be linked to the La Baume family.

This could be either Pierre II de La Baume, Marquis de Château Double, councillor at the Grenoble Parliament, appointed Conseiller d’Etat by patent on 17 December 1653, or Alphonse de La Baume, councillor at the Grenoble Parliament in 1670 and one of the commissioners of the chamber of justice established in Paris.

Other provenance : Henry Edward Fox, 4e Baron de Holland (1802-1859), with his armorial book plate.