Le immagini di alcuni uomini per pietà illustri della congregazione de cherici regolari in lingua latina espresse e tradotte nell’italiana; accresciute et illustrate con fragri documenti; coll’aggiunta di santi esemplari delle vergine teatine.

Engraved front. with letterpress Latin title in red and black within an engraved figural frame, 5 unnumb. leaves including title with woodcut vignette framed by ornamental typographical border, 132 engraved plates showing members of the congregation in emblematic images relating to important events in their life; accompanied by 132 unnumb. leaves with letterpress Latin and Italian text on recto, framed by varying typographical borders, closing with an engraved extra-plate, a half-length portrait within an architectural frame of Innocent-Raphael Savonarola (1680-1748) signed Joseph Oraly Romanus sculp. facing last text-leaf with Italian and Latin letterpress protestatio - protesta. Cont. richly gilt Italian red morocco on five raised bands with red morocco gilt lettering label in second compartment and green morocco label with intertwined gilt initials OL in third compartment. All others with richly gilt ornamentation. Endpapers lined with block printed paper with a repetitive pattern of flowering branches. All edges gilt. 4to (270 x 190 mm). Spine with a few punctual wormholes.


A. F. Vezzosi. I scrittori teatini (Roma, 1780) I, pp. 133-39; cf. Graesse, I, 360 and Brunet I, 846 (both with an erroneous plate count 164 for the 1758 edition and with imprint Rome). First edition. A very broadmargined copy printed on thick paper, clean and fresh, a large paper dedication copy with an extra-plate. The plates with engraved Latin captions, a number of them bear the signature J. Cattini f. and A. Magliar sculp., a few others with Ioan. Aluarus inv. et del. - Ignazio Ludovico Bianchi (1704-1770) was a member of the Theatines the oldest order of regular clerics. They were founded in Rome in 1525, in the course of the Catholic reform before and during the Council of Trent, by Cajetan of Thiene and others including the later Pope Paul IV, Giampietro Carafa, and were recognised by Pope Clement VII just a few weeks later. The name Theatine is derived from the ancient name of the city of Chieti (Theate), the bishopric of the co-founder Carafa. The congregation quickly spread throughout Italy and became the most important force of the Counter-Reformation alongside the Jesuits. Bianchi was a catholic scholar, teacher of moral theology at the order's university in Ravenna and librarian at the library of the Teatini di San Nicolò da Tolentino in Venice, where he spend most of his life. KVK shows only two copies of this edition with 132 or less plates. The fine coloured block printed endpapers are pictured in Raccolta Bertarelli. Carte Decorate p. 53, no. 101. A fine copy in a richly gilt Italian rococo binding.