b g : l e dialoghi d’amore · di studi storici, (in press). the oration was published by antonio...

Cadernos de Estudos Sefarditas, n.º 8, 2008, pp. 159-168.

Benedetto Giunti:

the likely editor of the first known partial edition

of Leone Ebreo’s Dialoghi d’amore

James W. Nelson Novoa

Bolseiro da fundação para a Ciência e a tecnologia

Cátedra de estudos Sefarditas “alberto Benveniste”

research on the Dialoghi d’amore was much advanced when,

thirty-five years ago, an obscure edition of a little known work was

identified as being the second of the three dialogues by the Portu-

guese Jew Judah abravanel, forever consecrated to posterity as

leone ebreo (1460-1525?). in her groundbreaking article elena

ofelia Bellinotto first drew scholars’ attention to the existence of

this book. 1 Her research was expanded upon by the italian scholar

Giacinto Manuppella in his still unsurpassed critical edition of the

book in 1983. 2 the in quarto volume of 48 folios bears only the title

Libro de l’amore divino et humano and the title page gives us no indica-

tion of the author, the place or the editor.

the title corresponds to the Dialogo della comunità d’amore in the

canonical tradition of the text as established from antonio Blado’s

rome 1535 editio princeps. 3 the dialogue is rife with classical allu-

sions as one of its main concerns regards the use of allegory in con-

veying biblical and philosophical truth through mythological

1 Bellinotto, elena ofelia, “Un nuevo documento sobre los Dialoghi d’amore de

leone ebreo”, in Arquivos do centro cultural português,1974, pp. 399-409.2 See his notes on the subject: leone eBreo, Dialoghi d’amore, a cura di Giacinto

Manuppella, vol. i, testo italiano, note, documenti, instituto nacional de investigação

Cien tífica, lisboa, 1983, pp. 558-564.3 Dialoghi d’amore composti di Leone Hebreo Medico, Stampata in roma per antonio Blado

d’assola. Del 1535.

Pag 159-168:Pagina 1-28.qxd 14-12-2009 23:45 59

JaMeS W. nelSon novoa

160

accounts, something for which abravanel relied upon a variety of

sources, not least of which Boccaccio and his De genealogia deorum. 4

it was perhaps no coincidence that this dialogue in particular

should have appealed to the man responsible for the edition, given

what we know of him and his background. leonardo Marso d’a-

vezzano, a masterpiece humanist from the abruzzo region was the

editor of the volume of the second dialogue which, as we shall see

here, it would seem reasonable to consider the first partial edition

of leone ebreo’s masterpiece. Presumably born towards the end of

the fifteenth century he was apparently the nephew of the late fifte-

enth century orator and preacher Pietro Marso (1441-1511) collea-

gue of Pomponio letto and who pronounced the oration at letto’s

funeral in 1498. He first appears as a professor in umanità at the Uni-

versity of Siena from 1531 to 1533 and later in 1535. He next appe-

ars as a professor of rhetoric at the University of rome, the Studium

urbis in 1539 and 1542, the year in which he pronounced the acade-

mic oration which marked the beginning of the academic year on

the feast of Saint luke. 5 this is the last year that biographical sour-

ces for the activities of humanists and university professors in Siena

and rome mention Marso.

the only place where Marso’s name appears in the book is the

de dication to the abruzzan prelate Bernardino Silverio Piccolo-

mini, bishop of teramo and later of Salerno (died 1552). in it he

claims that the southern italian prelate had commissioned him to

do a latin translation of the work which apparently consisted of

four dialogues but he had been unable to carry out it and instead

was publishing only one of them in order to offer a sample of what

4 on this question see my article“leone ebreo’s appropriation of Boccaccio’s De

Genealogia d’amore in the Dialoghi d’amore”, in Renaissance Mediaevalisms, ed. Konrad eisen-

bichler, toronto, 2009, pp. 75-92.5 the biographical information is collected in my forthcoming article “la pubblica-

zione dei Dialoghi d’amore di leone ebreo e l’Umanesimo dell’italia meridionale” in Itinerari

di studi storici, (in press). the oration was published by antonio Blado: Oratio habita in aede

divi Eustachii in festo Sancti Lucae, roma apud antonium Bladum asulanum, 1542.

Pag 159-168:Pagina 1-28.qxd 14-12-2009 23:45 Page 160

161

BeneDetto GiUnti: tHe liKely of tHe firSt KnoWn Partial eDition of leone eBreo’S...

the final product would be like and to make the text available to the

studiosa gioventù. 6 He ends his dedicatory letter to Piccolomini insis-

ting that he will soon publish his latin translation of the four dialo-

gues along with another work which apparently remained unedited,

the Allegorie, which he intended to dedicate to vittoria Colonna

(1490-1547). 7

in the dedicatory letter he alludes to the type and devices

needed to print the work he intended to dedicate to Colonna, which

he only recently received from Benedetto Giunta from florence.8

Benedetto Giunta or Giunti (1506-1562) was of course a member

of the distinguished florentine family of printers, the son of

filippo il Vecchio (1450 ca-1517) and the brother of the better

known Bernardo Giunti (1478-1551 ca). Benedetto learnt his trade,

naturally enough, along with his brother and while the bulk of Ber-

nardo’s production was concentrated in florence, Benedetto

worked as an agent for the family company in rome and venice. 9

the first known work published by Benedetto Giunti was an edi-

tion of the Libro del cortegiano by Baldessare Castiglione (1478-1529),

which appeared in florence in 1531. 10 the bulk of Giunta’s confir-

6 “E perché prima che sia data l’ultima limatura a la sua perfezione (ancor che dì e notte si lavori)

ci va tempo assai, ho voluto frettolosamente mandare per ora fuore uno de’ suoi quattro membro solo, possi

giudicare e quale e quanto ne l’integro corpo stia nascoso, e per dimostrar più chiaro quel che sotto al velo

delle parole si cuopre”. Libro de l’amore divino et humano, Benedetto Giunta, rome, 1535, fol. 1v.7 “Se io non ho tradotto l’opera di vulgare in latino, come la Signoria Vostra quando me la donò mi

disse desiderava, quella l’imputì a la voluntà che ho avuto di giovare più presto ai molti che ai pochi, e

subito che harò finito questa bella massa di quattro volumi la mandarò fuore, e dietro a lor orme, come ho

promesso, le mie Allegorie. Vale”. Ibid, fol. 28 “Credo Vostra Signoria si maravigli che le mie Allegorie, dedicate per sue persuasioni a la Signora

Vettoria, Marchesana di Pescara, a quest’ora non siena date in luce, come fra gli amici era intonato. La

cau sa che me l’ha fatto differire è stata l’inopia, anzi più presto privazione di carattere, ieroglifi ed altre

figure che quelle, come sapete, richieggano, edi il desiderio d’avere innanzi un lume che da le tenebre de’ campi

Cimmerri le cavasse. E mentre che fra me così pensavo mi s’offersero a un tempo le lettere che Benedetto

Gionti mi mandò da Fiorenze, suffizienti a tale effetto, e la ferula che già mi donaste...”. Ibid, fol. 1 v.9 for the biographical information regarding Bernardo and Benedetto Giunta see

M. CereSa in Dizionario biografico degli italiani, vol. 51, roma, 2001, pp. 78-81.10 Il libro del cortegiano del conte Baldesar Castiglione, firenze, eredi di filippo Giunta, 1537.



162

med book production, which sports nineteen titles from 1537 to

1549, is largely dedicated to hu ma nism, 11 religious matters,12 official

civic documents, 13 three Greek volumes 14 and works linked to the

ducal patronage of Cosimo de Medici (1519-1574). 15

the book production in rome which bears his name, from

1540 to 1541, consists of three titles, published in association with

the Perugian printer Baldassare Cartolari from 1540 to 1543 active

in the city. 16 in addition he entered a partnership with the prolific

roman-based printer antonio Blado d’assolo (1490-1567) credited

with taking part in the pu blication of at least 1,439 titles in Greek

including the commentary on the Iliad by eusathius of thessalo-

nika (1110-1198), which appeared in several volumes. 17 Giunta and

11 in 1540, for example, in florence, he published Manouel Chrysoloras’ (1355-1415)

Erotemata Chrysolorae. De anomalis verbis. De formatione temporum ex libro Chalcondylae. Quartus

Gazae. De constructione and in 1548 aelius Donatus’ Ianua sum rudibus primam cupientibus artem.12 in 1544 in florence he published the Trattato utile del reverendo frate Andrea da Volte-

rra sopra la disputa della gratia et delle opere by andrea Ghetti (1510-1599).13 in 1546 along with his brother he published the Statuta civitatis Pistorii.14 in 1540 in florence he printed Hesiod’s Works and days, aristophane’s comedies and

poems by theocritus.15 in 1539 he published the Apparato et feste delle nozze dello illustrissimo signor Duca di

Firenze et della Duchessa sua consorte, con le sue stanze, madriali, comedia et intermedii in quelle recitati

by Pier francesco Giambullari (1495-1555) and in 1539 the Carme nuptiale in nuptiis Cosmae

et Leonorae by Michele aspri.16 these were the important treatise on calligraphy by the sixteenth century copyist

Giovanni Battista Palatino, the Libro nuovo d’imparare a scrivere tutte sorte lettere antiche et

moderne di tutte natione, con nuove regole, misure et essempi, con un breve et utile trattato de le cifere

published nelle case di messer Benedetto Gionta per Baldassarre di Francesco Cartolari perugino in

august 1540; the Bulla Collegi militum Santi Pauli de numero participantium, qua amplissimis et

honorificentissimis privilegiss donatur; the Bulla erectionis offici dominorum Militum santi Petri de

numero participantium nuncupatorum, quam plurimis privilegis decorati; the Ars metrica by luca

Gaurico (1476-1558), along with the De componendis carminibus opusculum elego carmine editum

by Giovanni Pollio lappoli (1465-1540): all three in 1541 apud campum Florae in aedibus

domini Benedicti Iunctae. 17 the work appeared in 1542 followed by the other three in 1546, 1549 and 1550.

franCeSCo BarBeri, “Blado, antonio”, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, vol. 10, istituto

della enciclopedia italiana, roma, 1968, pp. 753-757


Blado collaborated on the publication of the new breviary of the

Catholic church by cardinal francisco Quiñones (1480-1540),

undersigned by both, as well as two other members of the Giunta

family, luc’antonio (1457-1538) and Giacomo (1486-1546) and the

Spanish printer established in rome, Marco antonio Martínez Sala-

manca (1478-1562), in 1536. 18

as we have seen antonio Blado is the printer who was respon-

sible for the editio princeps of the complete version of the Dialoghi d’a-

more as we know it in three dialogues. the exact date on which the

printing of the work took place is unknown although on De cember

8, 1534 Pope Paul iii (1468-1549) conceded the licence to print the

work to its editor, Mariano lenzi. 19 Several days later, on December

7, 1534 a similar licence was granted to leo nardo Marso to print De

amore humano et divino in wording which would seem to indicate that

he was not only the work’s editor but possibly its author, as no men-

tion was made of leone ebreo.20 While Blado’s edition contained

the privilege on the title page which stipulated the exclusivity of

Blado’s right to print the work during a period of ten years throug-

hout the italian peninsula at the risk of fines and penalties if this

should be contravened, in accordance with legislation in force at the

Holy See and in the Papal states in the early sixteenth century 21. the

163


18 See P. fontana, “inizi della proprietà letteraria nello Stato Pontificio (Saggio di

documenti dell’archivio vaticano)”, in Accademie e Biblioteche d’Italia, 3, 1929-1930, p. 213

and valentino roMani, “luoghi editoriali in roma e nello stato della chiesa”, in La

stampa in Italia nel Cinquecento. Atti del convegno Roma 17-21 ottobre 1989, vol. 1, a cura di

Marco Santoro, Bulzoni editore, roma, 1992, p. 521.19 the document is published in my article “new Documents Concerning the Publi-

cation of leone ebreo’s Dialoghi d’amore”, in Hispania Judaica Bulletin, 5, 2007, pp. 271-282.

on lenzi see my article“Mariano lenzi: Sienese editor of leone ebreo´s Dialoghi d’amore”,

in Bruniana & Campanelliana”, Xiv,2, 2008, pp. 477-494. 20 Ibid.21 on the question of early legislation regarding book publication and publication

rights in rome see P. fontana (1929-1930) pp. 204-221 and Maria Grazia BlaSio, “Pri-

vilegi e licenze di stampa a roma fra Quattro e Cinquecento”, in La Bibliofilia, 1988, n.º 2,

pp. 147-159.



164

second dialogue edited by Marso on the other hand presented

no such privilege as though the editor did not want to reveal his

identity.

Who edited the work and when? as we have seen in his dedica-

tory page to Bernardino Silvero de Piccolomini, Marso claims that

he had to wait for the typographical materials to arrive from Bene-

detto Giunti. it has been the common and reasonable opinion that

Giunti was in fact the editor of the partial edition of the second

dialogue. 22 the book itself is extremely rare and there are only three

known examplars of it in italy. 23 on the copy held by the Biblioteca

degli intronati of Siena the title page has an inscription which states

that the volume was donated by leonardo Marso on february 9,

1535. furthermore, it states Hic Benedictus litteris mandavit:

“Leonardus Marsus musarum decus et interiorem litterarum promptuarium qui

publice in Senensi Gymnasio humaniores litteras profitetur hoc libello sua ingenita libera-

litate me donavit. Nonis Februariis anni trigesimi quinti supra millennii et quingentenii a

reconciliata divinitate. Hic Benedictus litteris mandavit.” 24

the letters alluded to could well have been the typographical

fonts needed to print the volume. But Benedetto Giunti where was

at the time of the alleged printing? We know that in December

1528 a house was rented out to one domino Benedicto de Giunta in

which Giacomo Giunta had run his bu siness operations 1526-1527,

the same Giacomo with whom, in 1536 he would be involved in the

printing of the Quiñones catecism. 25 on february 1, 1535 one

domino Benedicto Iuncta florentinus was in rome to look after a business

22 this is the information offered by the italian web site on Sixteenth century editions

of italian texts www.edit16.iccu.sbn.it in its entry on Benedetto Giunti.23 it is held by the Biblioteca Comunale dell’archiginnasio in Bologna, the Biblioteca

nazionale Centrale of rome and the Biblioteca comunale degli intronati of Siena. 24 the title page is reproduced in the documentary appendix. i wish to thank the

Biblioteca Comunale degli intronati of Siena for allowing me to reproduce the page.25 roMani (1992) p. 520.


affair involving property rights deriving from a plot of land in the

city. 26 if in both cases this was indeed the florentine printer Bene-

detto Giunti, then his presence in rome even if sporadic could

have occasioned the printing.

as we have seen Marso himself was to be in the city later as a

professor at the Studium Urbis from at least 1539 to 1542 though we

know he was possibly linked to roman humanist circles through his

presumed uncle, Pietro Marso. Benedetto Giunti pu blished books

there 1540-1541. it is not inconceivable that he could have entered

into dealings with Marso and published the work under commis-

sion the humanist from abruzzo. Perhaps he did not want to enter

into a possible conflict over the privilege granted to antonio Blado

to publish the Dialoghi d’amore, so he withheld his name and printer’s

device from the title page of the work. the licence to print had cle-

arly been granted to Marso though, as we have seen, it was phrased

ambigously enough to make it seem the Libro de l’amore divino et

humano was his. the possible motivations and the behind the scenes

negotiations are of course a matter for conjecture. the known facts

allow us to surmise that Benedetto Giunta was the printer of the

work. Unless evidence appears that Blado’s edition of the Dialoghi

d’amore was published before february 1535, we conclude that

Giunta’s was the first, albeit partial, edition of the work.

Documentary appendix

|1| Cum fuerit et sit, prout per testes infrascriptos esse asseruerunt, quod

|2| alias dominus Lucas Passagius fuit obligatus domine Ursule Zene |3|

occasione census annui in somma decem ducatorum de carlenis super |4| vinea

prefati domini Luce in Urbe apud et iuxta portam Sellariam|5| iuxta suos

165


26 the document is published in the documentary appendix. i wish to thank

Dr. Mirko Stocchi for his assistance in the transcription. Special thanks in addition to

Drs. angela laconelli and Maria antonietta Quesada of the archivio di Stato di roma for

their assistance during my research there.



166

confines, que fuit domini Hieronimi aromatarii apud |6| Scroffanum fuitque

dicte domine Ursule obligatus pro redemptione |7| dicti annui census in somma

centum scutorum et dominus Virgillius |8| Zena aliquid interesse in dicto

annuo censu pretendat habere |9| velintque prefata domina Ursula et Vir-

gillius suis neccessitatibus |10| abacti in alteram personam dictum annuum

censum cedere et |11| remittere, hinc est quod anno 1535 et die prima mensis

|12| februari presentes et personaliter constituti prefata domina Ursula

|13| et Virgillius et eorum quilibet, eadem videlicet Ursula renuntiationem

|14| premittens omnibus legibus in favorem mulierum quarumlibet introduc-

tarum |15| etc. dictum annuum censum omniaque iura et actiones |16| quod,

que et qua prefati domini Ursula et Virgillius et |17| quilibet ipsorum apud

dictum dominum Lucam habent et habere pretendunt, |18| cedunt et conce-

dunt et remittunt domino Benedicto |19| Iuncta florentinus ibidem presenti etc.

ex eo quod prefatus |20| dominus Benedictus ibidem presens eidem domine

Ursule |21| ibidem presenti solvere et realiter mandare scuta centum

|22| auri de sole ad iulios decem pro scuto hic in |23| Urbe infra unum

mensem proxime futurum cum dampnis etc. |24| Hanc autem cessionem et

remissionem prefati domini Ursula |25| et Virgilius fecerunt et faciunt, quod

sic sibi facere placuit |26| et placet, idem videlicet Virgilius ob benemerita et

|27| grata servitia que ab eadem d. Ursula, ut asseruit, |28| habuit, cas-

santes propterea quecumque instrumenta de dicto censu |29| annuo in eorum

seu alterius eorum favorem per dictum |30| dominum Lucam facta et celebrata

|31| promiseruntque prefati domini Ursula et Virgilius aliam |32| non

fecisse donationem nec cessionem in preiudicium |33| presentis contractus sub

pena dampnorum et interesse |34| promisitque insuper dictus dominus Lucas

eidem domino Benedicto |35| ibidem presenti de dicto censu annuo, videlicet de

ducatis de |36| carlenis decem decem pro ducatu, solvere hic Rome hoc

|37| modo, videlicet de semestre in semestre et [promisit] prefatus |38| domi-

nus Lucas eidem domino Benedicto solveret triginta |39| tria scuta cum tertio

alterius scuti singulo anno usque |40| [ad] tres annos, tunc teneatur deffalcare

pro |41| rata de dicto censu, que quidem scuta trigintatria |42| cum tertio

solvere promisit eidem domino Benedicto presenti hic |43| Rome in fine pre-

senti anni 1535 |44| et census incipiat currere a die prima ianuarii


|45| proxime preteriti et sic successive. Que omnia etc. |46| pro quibus obser-

vandis se se in solidum respective in |47| ampliori forma camere apostolice

obligarunt et iurarunt etc. |48| procuratorem constituerunt etc. submiserunt

etc. renunciarunt etc. |49| cum clausulis ad hec necessaris et opportunis super

|50| quibus etc. Actum ubi supra in presentia mei notarii presentibus

|51| ibidem dominis Bonifacio de Grangia et Gabriele |52| Benedicto cleri-

cis Gebennensis et Lugdunensis respective |53| diocesis testibus etc. ||

(f. 197r-v) notari del auditor Camera 3586.

archivio di Stato di roma.

167



Reproduced with the kind permission of the Biblioteca degli Intronati di Siena
