(Orlandi, Pellegrino Antonio)
Abecedario pittorico dall’autore ristampato, corretto, ed accresciuto di multi professori, e di altre notizie spettanti alla pittura, ed in quest’ ultima impressione con nuova, e copioso aggiunta di alcuni altri professori.
Napoli, Nicolò e Vincenzo Rispoli 1733.
Full Description
4to. (20) + 473 + (101)pp, 5 engraved plates of artists’ monograms (lettered A-E). Contemporary full vellum. 19th century engraved bookplate of Fintray House Library. (the Aberdeenshire county house of a branch of the Forbes family). A light dampstain at lower outer corner throughout, but still a reasonably pleasing copy.
The primary interest of this Naples edition of Orlandi’s Abecedario Pittorico lies in its association with the great Neapolitan painter Francesco Solimena (1657-1747). It is dedicated to Solimena (who was still very much alive at its date of publication), and contains additionally both a long biographical note on Solimena and the texts of various letters written to Solimena by appreciative clients between 1717 and 1731, most notably Prince Eugene of Savoy (five letters) and Lothar Franz von Schönborn, Archbishop-Elector of Mainz (three letters). Additionally, a supplement of artists not included in the previous Bologna editions of Orlandi (pp 431-73) includes informative notes on several other Neapolitan painters of the early eighteenth century.