Galleria di Minerva riaperta a benefizio della Repubblica delle Lettere dal zelo di Almorò Albrizzi librajo e stampatore di Venezia, Lipsia, e Charlesbourg, e compastore della sceltissima Accademia dell’Onore letterario di Forlì. Nella quale si contiene quanto di più scelto vien scritto da’ Letterati per lo più viventi in ogni materia sagra e profana, con molte rare e curiose notizie, insegnamenti segreti di varie materie e figure in rame. Anno primo.

Formato: in dodicesimo

CAVIAR AND BOTARGA

12mo (170x93 mm); original grey boards with lettered title on spine; 24, 12, 20, 72 [of 84], 68, 12, 20 pp. With an engraved vignette on the title-page and several small engravings of ancient coins. Small flaw in a leaf with minimal loss of text, otherwise a fine, uncut copy.

RARE ORIGINAL EDITION of the first issue of this scientific and literary journal entitled “Galleria di Minerva riaperta”, the sequel of the more celebrated “Galleria di Minerva”, published in 7 volumes between 1696 and 1717 by Girolamo Albrizzi. A second and final issue appeared a year later in 1725 (cf. M. Infelise, Editoria veneziana nel ‘700, Milan, 1989, p. 41; see also M. Berengo, Giornali veneziani del Settecento, Milan, 1962, p. XV). The Galleria di Minerva collects the acts of the “Società Albrizziana”, founded by Almorò Albrizzi, Girolamo's son, in 1724. The first section is dedicated to natural history. The second section, of 12 pp., contains a letter, addressed by Giuseppe Lanzoni to Antonio Astori, about caviar and botarga, which according to the author were already in use among the ancients. Then follow sections on ancient coins, literature and poetry.

Almorò (Ermolao) Albrizzi was born in Venice in 1695 into a family of typographers and editors. He travelled a lot before taking over and expand his father's business. The “Accademia” or “Società Albrizziana” was for many years an important cultural reference point in Venice (in 1744 the academy was moved to Rome, where it remained open until 1749) (cf. M. Maylender, Storia delle Accademie d'Italia, Bologna, 1926, I, pp. 111-125). Albrizzi brilliantly combined literary skills, erudition and entrepreneurial capacities. Numerous are his publications, among which many were periodicals (cf. G. Cinelli-Calvoli, Biblioteca volante, Venice, 1734, I, pp. 22-25). He died in Forlì in 1764 (cf. I. Parenzo, Almorò Albrizzi e la Società letteraria universale Albrizziana, in: “Rivista letteraria”, VII, Udine, 1935, no. 5, pp. 20-28).

Catalogo delle pubblicazioni periodiche esistenti in varie biblioteche di Roma e Firenze…, Rome, 1955, p. 181.

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