[Gregorio LETI] Abbé GUALDI
Histoire de dona Olympia Maldachini, traduite de l'italien de l'abbé Gualdi
Chez Jean du Val|Leyde [Leiden] 1666|7.50 x 13 cm|relié
First edition à la sphère. Rare. The work would appear in Italy, in Ragusa, the following year.
Full brown calf binding ca 1820 signed Simier at foot. Spine with raised bands decorated with cold tooling in cross-hatched pattern, gilt fillets and roulettes. Cold-tooled geometric decoration framing the boards. Gilt edges. Rubbing. Slight leather loss at foot. Handsome copy.
Grégorio Leti (1630-1701) is, under the pseudonym of Giulio Capocoda, the author of numerous anti-Catholic pamphlets. Capocoda converted to Protestantism and settled in Geneva. He later became historiographer to Charles II in England. The history of Donna Olympia tells the story of a courtesan at the court of Rome; in fact, the man who would become Pope Innocent X was her brother-in-law. It is said they were lovers. She schemed for her half-brother to become pope, and once he was in place, it was she who ruled the church, amassing an immense fortune by squandering the church's assets. The work details her biography up to her trial.
NB: This work is available at the bookshop on request within 48 hours.
Full brown calf binding ca 1820 signed Simier at foot. Spine with raised bands decorated with cold tooling in cross-hatched pattern, gilt fillets and roulettes. Cold-tooled geometric decoration framing the boards. Gilt edges. Rubbing. Slight leather loss at foot. Handsome copy.
Grégorio Leti (1630-1701) is, under the pseudonym of Giulio Capocoda, the author of numerous anti-Catholic pamphlets. Capocoda converted to Protestantism and settled in Geneva. He later became historiographer to Charles II in England. The history of Donna Olympia tells the story of a courtesan at the court of Rome; in fact, the man who would become Pope Innocent X was her brother-in-law. It is said they were lovers. She schemed for her half-brother to become pope, and once he was in place, it was she who ruled the church, amassing an immense fortune by squandering the church's assets. The work details her biography up to her trial.
NB: This work is available at the bookshop on request within 48 hours.
€500