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COLONNA (Francesco). Hypnerotomachie, ou Discours du songe d…
See original version (French)
Lot no. 34
COLONNA (Francesco).
Hypnerotomachie, ou Discours du songe de Poliphile, Deduisant comme Amour le combat à l'occasion de Polia. Soubz la fiction de quoy l'aucteur monstrant que toutes choses terrestres ne sont que vanité, tracte de plusieurs matieres profitables, & dignes de memoire.
Paris: Jacques Kerver, 1561. - In-folio, 312 x 205 : (6 ff.), 157 ff., (1 f.). Tan calf, spine ribbed and decorated, red edges (18th century binding).
Brunet, IV, 779. - D. Cordellier, Luca Penni, un disciple de Raphaël à Fontainebleau, Paris, 2012, pp. 111-113.
Third edition of the French translation by Jean Martin (15..-1553?), following those of 1546 and 1554.
Francesco Colonna (1433-1527), a Venetian Dominican monk, is traditionally considered to be the author of The Dream of Poliphilo (Hypnerotomachia Poliphili), which he wrote in 1467. A novel of fascinating singularity, both in its conception and in its language (a mixture of Latin, Italian and Greek), it recounts Poliphilo's dreamlike, initiatory journey to the island of Love, Cythera, combining symbolism, architecture, mythology and allegory.
First printed by Aldus in 1499, it is considered to be one of the "most beautiful books in the world", with an abundance of extremely refined and spellbinding illustrations. It exerted a major influence on literature and the arts in the 16th and 17th centuries, inspiring generations of artists and writers.
The Kerver edition (1546), translated and adapted by Jean Martin, simplified the complex language of the original: the interminable enumerations were summarised, the labyrinthine descriptions clarified, and the Greek and Latin phrases translated (sometimes with deliberate misunderstandings to soften certain passages). Despite these adaptations, the mysterious acrostic in the opening chapters has been preserved: "Poliam frater Franciscus Columna peramavit" ("Brother Francesco Colonna loved Polia intensely").
This 1561 edition is very close to the second of 1554: "The title page mentions Kerver's new address, which has been changed from the sign 'Deux colonnes' to 'La Licorne'. Jean Martin's text has been recomposed without modification. New lettering appears only in the preliminaries, and the publisher has introduced a band at the head of each chapter. The Greek texts, printed in larger type, are more legible. The engravings are the same: the one at the bottom of folio 22 has been reversed" (website architectura.univ-tours.fr/livres-notice/ensba_1322b/).
It is decorated with the famous illustrations from the first French edition (1546), including the superb title frame recently attributed by Dominique Cordellier to Luca Penni, and 181 woodcuts, 13 of which are full-page. Although inspired by the princeps edition of 1499, these woodcuts, attributed to Jean Goujon or Jean Cousin, are original creations that bear witness to the art and genius of the French Renaissance. Only one engraving has been significantly altered: that on folio B6 verso, depicting an antique doorway with columns. In the 1546 edition, this illustration was not very accurate - the capitals were missing, the drawing was shapeless, and comments and figures cluttered the composition.
In the revised version, the columns now have capitals, inspired by the Doric order, and the figures and comments have disappeared. This change reveals a greater attention to architectural rigour, reflecting a more pronounced aesthetic and technical concern. The last leaf contains the beautiful Kerver mark.
A copy in an eighteenth-century binding with several hundred blank leaves following the text, the first of which contains handwritten bibliographical notes. It came from the library of Edward Lee Childe (1838-1911), nephew of the Southern general Robert Lee, friend of Prosper Mérimée and husband of the woman of letters Blanche de Triqueti (1837-1886).
Lacks the head cover, worm work to the last box, some wear rubbing, dull corners, ink stains on the second board. Title frame slightly cut, small tears at the top of the same leaf with damage to the engraving. A few small damp spots, not serious. Apart from that, the interior is in very good condition. Ink reading marks in some margins.
Provenance: Edward Lee Childe, with bookplate.
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