The first Giuntine edition of Boccaccio s masterpiece, a finely illustrated edition very rarely found on the auction market. Provenance: from the library of the great collector and politician from Naples Luigi Serra, 4th Duke of Cassano (1747-1825 ownership inscription Del Duca di Cassano on the verso of the front marbled flyleaf). A very fine copy, first and last leaves slightly dusted. A few minor scratches to the upper covers. Board edges gilt tooled, marbled pastedowns and flyleaves, inside dentelles, pale green silk bookmark. Small gilt tool work in the compartments, the title decamerone del boccaccio in gold. Smooth spine, divided into compartments by narrow gilt ornamental rolls. Late eighteenth-century red morocco, covers framed within triple gilt fillet, a small flower at each corner. Ninety- six smaller woodcut vignettes (43x70 mm), including one repeat, with most of these figures labelled on the block. d5v, y6r, 6r, A7v, F3v, and H7v), representing Boccaccio s brigade of storytellers seven women and three men seated in a garden, with the figures labelled on the block. a1r, at the beginning of the Proemio (74x93 mm) and subsequently repeated six more times (fols. Blank spaces for capitals, with printed guide letters. Woodcut printer s device on the verso of fol.
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