915J Vanossi, Antal (1683-1757)

Idea Sapientis Theo-Politici, Id Est: Tripartita Morum Philosophia Ethica, Politica, Oeconomica Summariâ methodo comprehensa, Problematicis Quæsitis, Et Emblematis Illistrata.

Viennæ Austriæ : Typis Mariæ Theresiæ Voigtin, viduæ(is), 1725.    Price $1,800

Engraved frontispiece from 'Idea Sapientis Theo-Politici' by Antal Vanossi, depicting a formal garden with symmetrical trees and a central fountain, accompanied by a Latin motto at the top.

Quarto 20.5 x 16cm. Signatures: *2,A-P4, Q3 (missing blank Q4) ,R-Z4 , Aa-Ss4 (o)3 Frontispiece, title page, [2], 332 pages, [5]. The printer,Maria Theresia Voigt (often styled Voigtin) took over the University of Vienna press as a widow in 1723, after the death of her husband, the university printer Ignaz Dominik Voigt. She was formally matriculated in 1724 as Universitatis typographa (university printer), which is why many of her imprints read “Typis Mariae Theresiae Voigtin, viduae, Universitatis typographae.” She remained active until 1740, when the officina was sold to Leopold Johann Kaliwoda.

An engraved page from 'Idea Sapientis' by Antal Vanossi, featuring ornamental illustrations of birds and plants along with Latin text discussing moral philosophy.

Part 1 with 22 unsigned numbered copperplate engravings with engraved text in text. Part 2 with 26 unsigned numbered copperplate engraved text in text. Part 3 with 3 unsigned numbered copperplate engravings with engraved text in text.

An illustrated page from a historical book titled 'De Republica Russia,' featuring an ornate border and two cannons crossed at the bottom. Above is a scene depicting a distant landscape with a house, accompanied by Latin text.

Full contemporary sheep binding with gilt decorated and lettered spine with 5 raised bands, red edges, and marbled endpapers.  The hinges are cracked but the cords are holding strong.   Second edition (the first was a small duodecimo) of this emblem book with an engraved frontispiece and 51 engraved in-text emblems.   Rubbing, bumping, wear, soiling, and some damage to the boards and spine. The gilt decorations and lettering on the spine are quite faded. The spine is partly cracked on both hinges, and the binding is a bit soft. Pen and pencil markings and library stamp on the front flyleaves. Browning, spotting, and some water staining at the edges throughout. Page 73/74 has a tear at the edge, not affecting the text. The text and illustrations are clear. Overall, a nice copy in good- condition.

Engraving from 'Idea Sapientis Theo-Politici' by Antal Vanossi, featuring a central illustration surrounded by decorative elements and Latin text.

“The Idea sapientis (1724) of Antal Vanossi;” a man of Italian origin who had worked for some time in Hungary, can be seen as one of the signal achievements of eighteenth-century Jesuit emblematics, continuing as it does the traditions of the previous century. The tripartite emblematic structure “develops the material of Aristotle’s ethics and politics … into a manual of Christian politics and moral philosophy, and does so in the spirit of Saavedra and with the technique of Hevenesi. According to the prologue addressed to the reader, the sources used here include Lipsius and Barclay. Vanossi summarizes the main religious and moral laws and rules governing human existence and groups them into ethics, questions of good social and political order, and family life. In each category, he asks a number of questions, and the answers he gives (“Doctrina“) are introduced by emblems consisting of motto, pictura, and four-line epigram. In addition to its emblematic frontispiece, the work contains a total of 51 emblems. The pictorial matter and the social views canvassed in this compilation reflect a characteristically seventeenth-century way of thinking. Yet this was one of the most popular emblem books of the eighteenth century. The Vienna editions of 1724, 1725, and 1727 were followed by its publication at Nagyszombat (Trnava), first in installments and then in its entirety, and of this latter, complete edition we have no fewer than three variants.” (The Emblem in Hungary ÉVA KNAPP and GÁBOR TÜSKÉS Budapest, Hungary)  

(CLESJ) Daly & Dimler: vol 5, p 232 nº J.1449; De Backer–Sommervogel vol.VIII col. 459 nº8 ;Praz 522.; Batthyány Lajos könyvtárának katalógusa (1743) #594. 

Title page of 'Idea Sapientis Theo-Politici' by Antonio Vanossi, published in Vienna in 1725, featuring a decorative layout with Latin text.

A nice little detail a couple of dropped piece.

Close-up of an ancient text page featuring Latin script, with distinct letter styles and printing imperfections, such as dropped type, and annotations in red ink.

JAMESGRAY2@ME.COM