This editon is illustrated with 95 woodcuts, here mostly coloured – first used in Marcolini’s 1544 edition of Vellutella’s version and described by Mortimer as “an extension of the commentary” – plus a title portrait of Dante.
In contemporary mottled calf, this Fort Augustus copy sold at £2800.
Christie’s South Kensington, London,
February 16
Buyer’s premium: 17.5/10 per cent
Dante’s Divina Commedia
UK: THIS 1564 Venetian edition of Dante’s Divina Commedia was the first to incorporate the commentaries of both Landino and Vellutello, which, printed in roman type, surround the italic setting of Dante’s text.