A rare celebrated typographical facsimile of the so-called "Ventisettana", widely regarded as the finest early edition of Il Decamerone. Produced in Venice in 1729 in a strictly limited edition of approximately 300 copies, many of which were reportedly destroyed by fire.
Executed with remarkable technical skill by Stefano Orlandini using the presses of Pasinello, the edition reproduces the original with such fidelity that it may easily deceive even a trained eye. It has long been regarded as one of the earliest and most accomplished examples of printed facsimile, sometimes described, somewhat misleadingly, as a case of book "forgery". The enterprise was financed by Salvatore Ferrari, though other sources attribute its patronage to the English consul in Venice, the noted bibliophile Joseph Smith (1682-1770).
Composed in the mid-14th century by Boccaccio, Il Decamerone stands as one of the foundational works of European prose literature. Boccaccio, a Florentine writer and humanist, was a close contemporary and friend of Francesco Petrarca (1303-1374) and played a key role in the early development of Renaissance humanism. Educated partly in Naples, he was deeply influenced by courtly culture as well as classical antiquity, which shaped both his literary style and intellectual outlook. Structured as a frame narrative set against the backdrop of the Black Death in Florence, it recounts how 10 young Florentines, 7 women and 3 men, withdraw to the countryside, where they pass 10 days telling stories, resulting in a collection of 100 tales. The work combines wit, satire, and vivid observation of human behaviour, ranging from the comic and erotic to the moral and tragic. Its influence on the development of vernacular Italian prose was profound, and it has remained a cornerstone of the Western literary canon ever since.
The gutter of leaf 143 and the outer margin of leaf 258 have been reinforced, a tear in leaf 263, some minor damp-staining to the outer margin of leaves 264-276. Otherwise in very good condition. COPAC TO0E108243; EDIT16 CNCE 24078; Gamba no. 172, pp. 54-55; USTC 814784; cf. Brunet I, 999.