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Vico, Enea (1523-1567); trans. Natale Conti (1520-1582) Augustarum Imagines Aereis Formis Expressae; Vitae quoque earundem breviter enarratae.
Venice: Paolo Manuzio, 1558.
First Latin edition of Conti's Le Imagini delle Donne Auguste, published in the previous year; quarto, illustrated with sixty-three full-paged engravings, engraved title page, and thirty-three text woodcuts of coins; each subject of the biography depicted in coin form, either on a unique complicated altar of varying designs or in a grid of twelve; with cancel engravings as described by Mortimer: plates I and II misfolded and bound in the wrong order, xviii and xix (on G3v and H4r) each with cancel slips pasted over with the correct engravings (the two were originally transposed); plate xi with blank cancel slip pasted over portrait; plates iv, xv, and xxiii without coin portraits; bound in full 17th century gilt-tooled red morocco, rubbed, generally good, aeg, over marbling; marbled endleaves; bookplate removed from inside front board with loss to marbled paper; ownership cipher with the initials F and C stamped neatly in the margin of the first preface leaf; 9 1/4 x 6 3/4 in.
This work contains short biographies of ancient Roman women who held the title Augusta, given to high-ranking women in imperial families, usually the wives, daughters, or mothers of emperors. Augustae had their own imperial regalia, and were sometimes allowed to preside over courts, and issue currency, thus portraits in coin format. Vico's work contains entries on Julius Caesar's mother, four wives, daughter Cornelia, sister Julia Minor, and dozens of other influential ancient Roman women.
Ahmanson-Murphy 537; Ren. 176:18; Adams V-634; BMSTC I 723; Mortimer Italian 533.
