Illustrated Venetian Post-Incunabulum. CATERINA DA SIENA. Dialogo de la Seraphica virgine Sancta Catherina da Siena Dela [..]

8vo, mm. 156x100. Contemporary limp vellum, renewed endpapers. 200 unnumbered leaves. Collation: [1-3]4 [4]6 A-2X4 2Y6. Colophon on the recto of the last leaf. On the Titlepage, under the title, woodcut illustration of St. Catherine. Small woodcut vignette of St. Catherine on the verso of the leaf marked 13, also repeated on the verso of leaf A4. Gothic-Roman type. Printer's mark on the verso of the last leaf. On the recto of the end-leave, before the title sheet, a handwritten inscription in Latin, by a contemporary hand, ‘memoria di s[anc]ta catherina’, handwriting in clear cursive, brown ink. Noble stamp on the Titlepage. Signs of wear on the binding, internally slight browning and foxing, overall a good copy.

Very rare Venetian post-incunabulum, illustrated. The work “Della divina Provvidenza” (Divine Providence) was dictated by Saint Catherine, in moments of mystical exaltation, to her secretaries Neri Pagliaresi, Stefano Maconi and Barduccio Canigiani. The Dialogue is composed of 167 chapters: the first seven constitute a sort of introduction, from IX to LXIV are entitled Trattato della discrezione (Treatise on Discretion), from LXV to LXXXIV Treatise on Prayer, followed by Il trattato della Provvidenza and Il trattato dell’Obbedienza (The Treatise on Providence and The Treatise on Obedience). Before the text, the writings of Pope Pius II and Barduccio Canigiani, followed by the proemial epistle with the dedication to Isabella of Aragon, Duchess of Milan, and Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Bari and Milan, married to Ludovico Sforza called ‘Il Moro’. The work is printed by the Venetian typographer with his remarkable Gothic-Roman type, unique in its kind.