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italoamericano-digital-5-1-2025

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THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY W i d e l y r e g a r d e d a s o n e o f the great- est works of Western literature, The Divine Comedy has capti- vated readers for more than 700 years. Written in the 14 th centu- ry by Dante Alighieri, a Flo- rentine bureaucrat turned v i s i o n a r y s t o r y t e l l e r , T h e D i v i n e C o m e d y i s a d a r k story with a happy ending. The narrator and main char- acter is Dante himself, who is g u i d e d o n h i s j o u r n e y through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise by the Roman poet Virgil. The poem revolves around the eternal themes of love, faith, and justice. Recently, a rare 1544 edi- tion of Dante's The Divine Comedy was purchased by the University of Wash- ington Libraries. Known as the Vellutello Dante, the edition features text from Alessandro Vellutello, a lead- ing Dante commentator from t h e 1 6 t h c e n t u r y , w h o s e o b s e r v a t i o n s a r e p r i n t e d side-by-side with a series of 87 finely detailed woodcut illustrations. The woodcuts a r e n o t o n l y f a i t h f u l t o Dante's narrative poem but contain additional details to h e l p e x p a n d t h e r e a d e r ' s understanding of how the poet envisioned the afterlife. Vellutello's edition marks the first time that illustra- t i o n s w e r e d e l i b e r a t e l y designed to work in concert with commentary – a pivotal m o m e n t i n t h e h i s t o r y o f book publishing. A s B e a t r i c e A r d u i n i , associate professor and chair of Italian Studies at the Uni- v e r s i t y o f W a s h i n g t o n , explained: "The illustrations are integrated with the narra- tive, serving to explain the t e x t a n d h e l p i n g p r o v i d e accurate measurements of the three realms of the after- life. In some cases, the con- tent of several cantos was compressed into one wood- cut, something unique in the printed illustrated tradition of the poem. The total num- ber of the illustrations is in fact 87 and not 100." Many historians believe that Vellutello, at the mini- mum, had a hand in concep- tualizing the intricate illus- trations. Others believe that h i s r o l e w e n t s o f a r a s t o actually prepare rough draw- ings that were then used as s c h e m a t i c s f o r t h e f i n a l drawings. In either case, the n a m e o f t h e a r t i s t w h o carved the woodcuts remains unknown. The UW edition is beauti- fully bound in 17 th -century calfskin with the title Come- die di Dante in gold tooling along the spine. Its interior p a g e s a r e m a d e o f l i n e n fiber, not wood pulp, which contributed to the volume's longevity and condition. This edition was printed in 1544 by Francesco Marcolini, a leading Venetian publisher. Also within its pages are printed marginal notes seen in the book's first section as well as a handwritten anno- tation on the flyleaf, possibly penned by a previous owner; both additions are in Italian. According to Julie Tana- ka, associate dean for Dis- tinctive Collections at UW Libraries, it was common centuries ago for customers to buy only the pages of a book and then take them to be bound in a cover of their choice. "We don't know the exact number of copies that were originally printed," she said. "In Venice during the mid-16 th century, a book like this would have about 1,000 copies printed. But a r e a l l y p o p u l a r b o o k m a y have had 3,000 copies print- ed." A l t h o u g h T h e D i v i n e Comedy was written more than 700 years ago, its very human story continues to a p p e a l t o r e a d e r s t o d a y . "One of the many layers of interpretation is the struggle to make sense of the human experience by grappling with questions about the nature of evil, the possibility for spiritual improvement, and the experience of true happi- ness," said Arduini. S h e c o n t i n u e d : " D a n t e h a d t o a d a p t t o a changing world when he was exiled from his native city of Florence just as we have to adapt to today's changing world. Engaging with words and images that do not con- form to our current world view helps us stay positive and constructive when faced with something that deviates from our expectations." T h e a c q u i s i t i o n o f t h e 1544 Dante was one of those s e r e n d i p i t o u s m o m e n t s . Tanaka heard about a differ- ent Dante volume for sale from a rare book vendor on the East Coast, but when she contacted the seller, it was too late. The vendor then told her about another vol- ume coming on the market. "The 1544 edition actually w o r k e d o u t b e t t e r f o r u s because of the illustrations in this volume," said Tanaka. "It was a better fit for our needs." The purchase of the Vel- l u t e l l o e d i t i o n w a s m a d e possible through the gener- ous support of the Charles T . L e i b s t L i b r a r i e s Endowed Fund. Although it's not the rarest Dante in existence, its acquisition will e n h a n c e t e a c h i n g a n d r e s e a r c h o p p o r t u n i t i e s , including an undergraduate c l a s s o n D a n t e w h i c h i s taught every fall by the Ital- ian Studies Department. The book will also be used by scholars researching such t o p i c s a s t e x t u a l s t u d i e s , early modern European lit- erature, art history, design, and book publishing. The 1544 edition of The D i v i n e C o m e d y j o i n s 275,000 other volumes in the UW's rare book collec- tion. And it's not the only D a n t e v o l u m e t h a t U W Libraries owns. One of the m o r e c o n t e m p o r a r y i s a 2003 interpretation by artist Sandow Birk (with writer Marcus Sanders) which relo- c a t e s D a n t e ' s j o u r n e y t o urban America. Birk depicts Dante as a sneaker- and hoodie-clad slacker who travels through the circles of Hell to Purga- tory and Paradise, each pre- sented as a modern Ameri- can city. "Imagine the Gates of Hell as the entrance to an underground parking garage with the LA skyline in the background!" said Tanaka. RITA CIPALLA R a r e 1 5 4 4 D a n t e v o l u m e a r r i v e s a t U W Libraries A rare 1544 edition of The Divine Comedy was purchased by the University of Washington to be used in research and teaching (Photos: Liber Antiquus) University of Washington Libraries' purchase of The Divine Comedy will enhance teaching and research opportunities, including an undergraduate class on Dante taught every fall (Photo: University of Washington)

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