May 05, 2022 - Sale 2603

Sale 2603 - Lot 190

Price Realized: $ 1,375
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
Bordini, Giovanni Francesco (1536-1609)
De Rebus Praeclare Gestis a Sixto V. Pon. Max.

Rome: Ex officini Jacob Tornerius [by Francesco Zanetti], 1588.

First edition, quarto, engraved title, illustrated with fifteen full-page engravings (in addition to the title); ink stain to title, some marginal worming and water stains, in later boards, front board detached, 9 1/4 x 6 3/4 in.

The verses in this illustrated volume offer tribute to Pope Sixtus V's (1521-1590) various architectural contributions to the city of Rome, along with other highlights of his pontificate. Although he only served as the head of the church for five years, he adopted an ambitious rebuilding project that required the destruction of antiquities and was funded by levying onerous taxes on the population. His plan saw the completion of the dome of St. Peter's; the Loggia of Sixtus in the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano; the chapel of the Praesepe in Santa Maria Maggiore; the erection of four obelisks (including the one in Saint Peter's Square); the opening of six new streets; and more.