Beccadelli Antonio, Panormita (1394-1471)

Hermaphroditi libri duo. This famous collection of indecent verses was not printed until 1791, when it appeared in the 'Quinque illustrium poetarum lusus in Venerem', published in Paris. It was afterwards separately edited by F. K. Forberg [1770-1848] at Coburg in 1824.

Early 17th Century

1 volume 2 ll. (first bl.). + 62 pp. x 3 bl. ll. 4to. 22 x 15 1/2 cm. Original vellum binding.

Purchased at Sotheby's 26/7/1928, Lot 944 (part).

The Author was Secretary to Alfonso King of Naples, and was crowned poet at Siena in 1433 by the Emperor Sigismund. These poems were condemned by the Church, and publicly burnt in several cities. Pope Eugenius IV proscribed the reading of them under penalty of excommunication, but the scholars of his time compared the elegance of his Latinity with the poems of Catullus. [Cf. J. A. Symonds 'Renaissance in Italy'. 1897. Vol. II, pp. 184-187].

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).