L’amoroso Convivio – Dante Alighieri – 1529 | First Zoppino Edition

L’amoroso Convivio by Dante Alighieri from 1529 marks the first Zoppino version of Convivio. Of course, Dante’s Divine Comedy was one of the most important printed works prior to 1529, but Convivio was considered less important and thus not published extensively prior to Zoppino in 1529. The original woodcut title page with a portrait of Dante is retained in this impressive example.

Dante wrote Convivio in Italian to share his thoughts with a wider audience, not just Latin elite but also those who only spoke and read Italian. In it, he argued that true nobility depends on character, rather than birth or wealth.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: L’amoroso Convivio
• Author(s): Dante Alighieri
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s):
• Publisher: Vinegia, Per Niccolò di Aristotile detto Zoppino
• Edition: First Edition, 1529
• Format: (16mo), single volume
• Binding: Full vellum
• Size:  6.25 in x 4.25 in (15.9 cm x 10.8 cm)
• Collation: [8], 124 leaves
• Illustrations: Woodcut engraved title page with portrait of Dante and decorative border
• Contents Include:
  • Prose on philosophy, language, and moral values
  • Defense of Italian as a literary language
  • Discussion on virtue and noble character
• Provenance: provenance

• Reference(s): Adams D 118; Petrocchi, La tradizione del testo della Commedia

Condition:

Very Good. Full vellum binding shows light staining but remains strong. Text block is secure and complete. Title page woodcut is well-preserved. Internal leaves are clean and intact.

Why Collect This?

• First Zoppino edition of Dante’s Convivio, done in Venice

• Features one of the earliest printed portraits of Dante

Item Number: # 29400