53 - DAVILA (Enrico Caterino).

DAVILA (Enrico Caterino). History of the Civil Wars of France, containing the military campaigns of four kings: Francis II, Charles IX, Henry III, and Henry IV, known as “the Great.” Venice: Francesco Hertzhauser, 1733. 2 volumes, large folio, porphyry calfskin, ornate ribbed spine, title and volume number labels in havana and red morocco, triple gilt fillet framing the covers, marbled edges (contemporary binding). Caps, joints, and corners worn. A beautiful and monumental Venetian edition of this important history of the Wars of Religion in France, first published in Italian in 1630. The work by Enrico Caterino Davila (1576–1631), an Italian historian and military man who spent part of his youth at the French court, chronicles the civil and religious conflicts that tore the kingdom apart during the reigns of Francis II, Charles IX, Henry III, and Henry IV, up to the Peace of Vervins (1598). This particularly well-crafted edition is enriched with a biography of the author, marginal annotations by Giovanni Baldovino, and anonymous critical observations. It is adorned with two engraved allegorical frontispieces, a portrait of the author, a genealogical table, and numerous copperplate engravings. A fine copy of one of the most sought-after editions due to its large format and the quality of its illustrations. Handwritten bookplate on the title page reading “Charles Rd Tronchin.”