PAMPHILIUS Franciscus Picenum, hoc est de Piceni quae Anconitana vulgo Marchia nominatur; & nobilitate & laudibus: opus, nunc primum in lucem Jani Matthaei Durastantis editum. Macerata, Sebastiano Martellino, 1575
8vo: elaborate woodcut frame to titlepage, a fine woodcut portrait, full-page allegory and Martellini's strange device at the end of the text. Vellum-backed boards, ownership blindstamp of Giannalisa Feltrinelli; the outer edge of the frame of typographic ornaments shaved, a few tears 'invisibly' reinforced.
Only edition of this long neo-Latin poem in three books about the Marches. It is largely devoted to the history of the district, its geography and the notable people who shaped it. These include illustrious scholars and poets as well as princes and soldiers. There are also discussions on the etymology of the modern names of each town and city. The work is also interesting for the history of printing and publishing. Martellino was the first settled printer in Macerata; Durastante, already known as the author of works on chemical subjects, seems to have played here the part of scholar-patron. Vaccaro includes him in her Le Marche dei Tipografi ed Editori... and considers the strange allegorical illustration as possibly his device. His portrait is finely executed and the arms incorporated in the ornamental title-frame are probably his. Lozzi 3592.
£2500
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