1821 Scarce Italian Book set - Le Rime di Francesco Petrarca, Petrarch's Poems illustrated.

Author: Francesco Petrarca. (Petrarch).
Title: Le Rime del Petrarca con Tavole in Rame ed Illustrazioni. Volume I & II.
Publisher: Firenze, Dalla Tipografia dei FF. J. E. L. Ciardetti, 1821. Complete set of 2 volumes.
Language: Text in Italian.
Size: 9" X 6".
Pages: xlviii-366, 483 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good contemporary half calf leather binding with marbled paper boards. The spines are richly decorated with gilt tooling, featuring ornate designs and titles in gold (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright and tight, some light foxing, toning and staining - as shown).
Illustrations: Complete with eight full-page engravings. The engravings are meticulously executed, including portraits and views. Volume I’s frontispiece depicts Madonna Laura by Francesco Nenci, with engravings by A. Ricciani, and it also features a portrait of Petrarca. Other notable plates include landscapes associated with Petrarca’s solitude and creativity.

The book : This rare and complete illustrated two-volume set of Le Rime is a beautiful example of early 19th-century Italian printing, with fine engravings and luxurious binding. Petrarca’s poetic reflections on love, particularly his admiration for Laura, remain some of the most studied and celebrated works of Italian literature. The engravings accompanying the text offer visual depth to his verses, capturing the lyrical and emotional landscape of his sonnets.

The author: Francesco Petrarca (1304–1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar and poet in Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. His rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited with initiating the 14th-century Renaissance. Petrarca's poetry, especially his Canzoniere (Songbook), was immensely influential during his lifetime and remains central to the Italian literary tradition.

The illustrator: Francesco Nenci (1783–1850), an Italian painter and engraver, and Antonio Ricciani, an engraver known for his detailed copperplate work, contributed to the visual beauty of this edition with their engraved illustrations of Petrarca and his muse Laura.