The society received a copy of the famous edition last year, when members of the Dantean Comittee of Foligno came to Sydney to donate it, on the condition that it would be passed on to a public institution to be made accessible for scholars and academics.
Dante Sydney researched long and hard to find the right institution to house the edition, before settling on Sydney University’s Fisher Library, which is already equipped with an excellent section entitled ‘Rare Books and Special Collections’.
This section is regularly visited by scholars who consult its ancient books.
On August 15, a seminar was held on the history of the five volumes of the Divine Comedy which are already housed at the library, and to which the donated copy has been added.
The first printed edition of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy was produced on April 11, 1492, in the Umbrian city of Foligno.
Prior to printing, texts produced by copyists were already in circulation but unfortunately, none of these made it to contemporary times.
President of the Dante Alighieri Society in Sydney, Fabio Carosone, said the Divine Comedy of Foligno has a unique story, with an important place in the typographic history of Foligno and Fabriano.
In the 13th century, an industry of paper production had already developed in the valley zone between Foligno and Fabriano, alongside the River Monotre.
The area, which was plentiful in water, was equipped with numerous fulling mills with equipment suitable for producing the pulp necessary for paper production.
The book’s printer was Johannes Numeister, a manuscript copyist and apprentice of Gutemberg, a German from Magonza (today called Mainz), who invented movable printing in 1450.
Numeister ran away from Magonza after the city was ransacked and settled in Foligno in 1463.
The book was printed in Numeister’s bottega in Foligno, and is believed to be based on a special model: a manuscript now held at the Biblioteca del Seminario in Belluno, one of the 100 texts transcribed by Francesco di ser Nardo di Barberino, who with the proceeds earned from this production was able to marry off his daughters.
That manuscript was faithful to the original text of the Divine Comedy.
For this reason, the Foligno copy is considered to be one of the Edizione Princeps.
From these ancient origins, the city of Foligno has maintained the tradition of printing the Divine Comedy.
Anastatic printing (identical printing) is produced with six copies made every year.
These reproductions are particularly precious for their editorial quality and material value; they are hand-bound and produced on parchment, as was used in antiquity.
The books are produced in folio on Fabriano paper and every folio is unique.
The volume is embellished every year by a notable contemporary artist.
The copy which has been donated to Sydney is illustrated by artist Sandro Chia.
Fisher Library is proud to receive this donation, which is the most antique printed edition of the Divine Comedy in their collection.
Dante Sydney is also satisfied with its choice in library, and has informed the Dantean Committee of Foligno of the donation, who are in turn equally happy.
