Each of these cards bears the portrait of specific Venetian women and a brief text explaining how they contributed to the glory of the Republic.Īs the crossroad of Renaissance Europe, Venice incarnated the mandatory destination for intellectuals from all over the world, among whom was the philosopher Erasmus of Rotterdam. Manutius’ masterpiece ushered in an experimental trend that, in the seventeenth century, produced inventive combinations of words and images, such as Giovanni Palazzi’s anthology La virtù in giocco, overo dame patritie di Venetia famose per nascita, per lettere, per armi, per costume (1681): a book whose main component is a real set of playing cards.
Its page-wide illustrations are considered the best example of the classic trend of Venetian engravings, with solemn and monumental images inspired by Andrea Mantegna’s style. In turn, through his famous edition of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (1499), Manutius inaugurated the tradition of lavishly decorated, high-quality book illustrations in La Serenissima. The pragmatism of these “pocket books” reflected that of the traditional Venetian cookies, the Baicoli, dry but flavorful sweet crackers that lasted many months, thus becoming ideal for long trips at sea. Unsurprisingly, this very practical idea emerged in Venice, the “Queen of the Seas,” whose economy relied on commerce and entailed long sea voyages. Aldus not only absorbed the values of this multicultural hub, but also, precisely through his printing activity, he contributed to enriching and defining crucial facets of its tradition.Īn example of this bond is Manutius’ pioneering creation of books in octavo, a smaller format that allowed scholars to carry books around and read them anywhere, not just in a library. This is exactly what fascinates me about Manutius: his profound ties with the Serenissima – or Most Serene City – and its vibrant cultural environment. As a scholar of the Italian Renaissance, when I taught at the study abroad program “Penn in Venice,” I always included Manutius among the eminent intellectuals who shaped the image and destiny of Venice. The figure of Aldus Manutius, the “Michelangelo of the Book,” is inseparable from the city where he produced his most important innovations: Venice, the principal printing centre of the Renaissance.
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