14 - Giganti, Nicoletto. *Scola, or Theater*, Nicoletto Giganti’s masterpiece

Giganti, Nicoletto. *Scola, or Theater*, Nicoletto Giganti’s masterpiece An oblong quarto volume titled *Scola, overo teatro*, in which various styles and methods of parrying and striking with a single sword, and with a sword and dagger, are depicted, printed in Padua by Paolo Frambotto in 1628. The work, unfortunately not in good condition, is richly decorated with woodcut friezes, an etched portrait of the author, and numerous etched plates depicting various fencing techniques. Giganti, one of the most celebrated masters of the early 17th-century Italian school, focuses in particular on fencing with a single sword and with a sword and dagger, illustrating the various offensive and defensive maneuvers through the plates. The work stands out for the clarity of its structure and the quality of its illustrations, which made it one of the most successful treatises on European fencing. In a contemporary parchment binding with a handwritten title on the spine and a ownership note on the title page by Bertoldo Gasperini, who describes himself as an “Alfiere”—that is, the soldier charged with carrying the flag or standard of his military unit into battle. Nicoletto Giganti’s masterpiece