Circo agonale di Roma restituito all'antica forma con illuminazioni e macchine artificiali dall'E.mo, e R.mo Cardinale di Polignac ministro di S.M. Christianissima per celebrare il felice nascimento
by ROME. FESTIVALS
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine
- Seller
-
Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Rome: Nella Stamperia di Gio. Battista de Caporali, per andare all'Orso, 1729. FIRST EDITION. Hardcover. Fine. Bound in later carta rustica. A fine, fresh copy on crisp paper. Very faint soiling to upper margin. A large historiated initial, decorative head- and tail-pieces. With the arms of Cardinal Polignac on the title page. A very rare account of the elaborate transformation of Piazza Navona to celebrate the birth of the Dauphin Louis, son of King Louis XV of France (1715-1774) and his royal consort María Leszczyńska (1703-1768). The Rococo painter Pier Leone Ghezzi (1674-1750), charged with staging the events, had the piazza "restored" to its ancient glory as the stadium of Domitian, the foundations of which are buried beneath the piazza and give the modern space its distinctive, oblong shape. The spectacle was captured by the Roman painter Giovanni Paolo Pannini (1691-1765), who produced a painting of the Piazza in its glory, of which two copies exist. One is in the Louvre, the other in the National Gallery of Ireland.
The piazza was transformed by the erection of magnificent columns, quadriform temples (all painted to look like marble), monumental statuary, and fountains that flowed with wine (which was distributed to the spectators). The center-piece of the scene, Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers; Borromini's church of Sant'Agnese served as the imposing backdrop for this splendid display. All of these elements, including the inscriptions, the symbolism of the statuary, the royal blazons, the festoons of laurel, flowers, and flowers that unified the components, the torches and candelabra that illuminated the whole scene, the various instruments played, etc., etc. are described in detail.
The performances are also described. Musicians played from elevated stages, delighting the crowd with song. There were fireworks (conducted by the papal bombardieri of Castel Sant'Angelo), a cavalry parade, and a dramatic performance written by the celebrated librettist Pietro Metastasio (1698-1782), with music by Leonardo Vinci (1690-1730). The performance took place in the French ambassador's residence, Palazzo Altemps, at the northern end of the piazza. The final page of the account names the performers, the set designer, and the engineers in charge of the fireworks.
The second part of the volume comprises sonnets composed in honor of the Dauphin, the boy's mother, María Leszczyńska, and the French ambassador to the Vatican, Cardinal Melchior di Polignac.
The piazza was transformed by the erection of magnificent columns, quadriform temples (all painted to look like marble), monumental statuary, and fountains that flowed with wine (which was distributed to the spectators). The center-piece of the scene, Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers; Borromini's church of Sant'Agnese served as the imposing backdrop for this splendid display. All of these elements, including the inscriptions, the symbolism of the statuary, the royal blazons, the festoons of laurel, flowers, and flowers that unified the components, the torches and candelabra that illuminated the whole scene, the various instruments played, etc., etc. are described in detail.
The performances are also described. Musicians played from elevated stages, delighting the crowd with song. There were fireworks (conducted by the papal bombardieri of Castel Sant'Angelo), a cavalry parade, and a dramatic performance written by the celebrated librettist Pietro Metastasio (1698-1782), with music by Leonardo Vinci (1690-1730). The performance took place in the French ambassador's residence, Palazzo Altemps, at the northern end of the piazza. The final page of the account names the performers, the set designer, and the engineers in charge of the fireworks.
The second part of the volume comprises sonnets composed in honor of the Dauphin, the boy's mother, María Leszczyńska, and the French ambassador to the Vatican, Cardinal Melchior di Polignac.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Liber Antiquus (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 4449
- Title
- Circo agonale di Roma restituito all'antica forma con illuminazioni e macchine artificiali dall'E.mo, e R.mo Cardinale di Polignac ministro di S.M. Christianissima per celebrare il felice nascimento
- Author
- ROME. FESTIVALS
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- FIRST EDITION
- Publisher
- Nella Stamperia di Gio. Battista de Caporali, per andare all'Orso
- Place of Publication
- Rome
- Date Published
- 1729
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
Terms of Sale
Liber Antiquus
Returns accepted within 7 days of receipt. All returns must be packed, insured, and shipped as they were sent. All returns must arrive safely and in the condition in which they were sent before a refund will be issued.
About the Seller
Liber Antiquus
Biblio member since 2020
Chevy Chase, Maryland
About Liber Antiquus
Liber Antiquus sells early printed books (15th to 18th century) and early manuscripts in a number of fields. We have been in business for 22 years and are a member of ABAA and ILAB.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Crisp
- A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp...