Description
Alighieri Dante (1265 - 1321). The Divine Comedy. Illustrations by Dalí. Verona: Arti e Scienze, Salani. 1964. Copy D of a print run of 25 copies.
An edition of exceptional rarity and great typographical refinement of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, illustrated by Salvador Dalí, presented here in an imposing set of nine volumes accompanied by 365 plates. The project represents one of the most famous and ambitious 20th-century interpretations of Dante's work, in which Dalí's visionary and symbolic imagination confronts the poetic and allegorical dimension of the medieval masterpiece. The volumes belong to an extremely limited special print run of only forty-four copies, produced under the direction of the great typographer and publisher Giovanni Mardersteig at the renowned Officina Bodoni in Verona, a celebrated 20th-century printing workshop known for the extraordinary quality of its editions. The text is printed on fine Japanese "Kaji Torinoko" paper, particularly appreciated for its silky texture, fine fibers, and its ability to enhance the sharpness of the typographic print. The illustrative plates, printed on Rives paper, are presented within elegant Japanese paper passepartouts, a solution that enhances the visual impact of the images and ensures their better preservation. The iconography renders the visionary universe of the Comedy in a surrealist key, with images of great chromatic and symbolic intensity that offer an original interpretation of Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. In addition to the six canonical volumes containing the text of the three canticles, the edition includes three further supplementary volumes of considerable bibliographical and artistic interest: one collects an additional series of color plates, a second presents a complete series of black and white engraved plates, while the third documents the printing progression of plate no. 16 of Inferno, offering a rare testament to the technical and creative process underlying the creation of the illustrations.
The present copy is copy D of the 25 copies marked with letters A–Z, themselves part of the overall print run of 44 copies printed on Japanese paper. The iconography comprises a total of 365 plates, distributed as follows:
100 numbered plates inserted in the six text volumes, each accompanied by its control band;
100 additional numbered color plates;
100 black and white engraved plates;
65 progressive plates, illustrating the various stages of elaboration and printing of an image.
Dimensions
Folio (344x270mm)
Provenance
Private collection
Condition
Some plates slightly browned and minimal sporadic foxing. Each volume with wrapper, folder, and leather slipcase. Minimal defects.
