A Rare 1878 Folio "La Basilica di San Marco in Venezia", F. Ongania

Item Details

An extremely scarce folio collection titled ‘La Basilica di San Marco in Venenzia illustrata nella storia e nell’arte’ (1878-1893), a Herculean effort edited and published by Ferdinand Ongania (Italian 1842-1911). An antiquarian bookseller with his shop on St. Mark’s square, Ongania made his love for Venice and more specifically the Basilica of St. Mark evident by publishing this colossal work. The set is housed in book boxes created specifically for the folios and comprises two elephant folios measuring 28.5′ × 23′, fourteen folios being 16′ × 12.5′ and two smaller works measuring 9′ × 12.5′. The first folio on ‘big sheet’ format includes dozens of heliographic images illustrating the Basilica’s facades, the Presbytery, floor reliefs, the vestibules, etc. The portfolio then concludes with the images of the Doge procession on Palm Sunday which was originally carved in 1556. The second portfolio, again in ‘big sheet’ format (28.5′ × 23′) comprises 45 glorious chromolithographs taken from Alberto Prosdocimi’s (Italian 1878-1893) watercolors recording the Basilicas facades, marbles, mosaics, architectural details, and interior views. Fourteen further boxes contain folios containing literally hundreds of images and chromolithographs to show alters, mosaic floors, capitals, relief sketches, etc. The two smallest boxes then contain booklets titled ‘A Glance at the Historical Documents Relating to the Church of St. Mark’ in Venice’ by William Scott, ‘Le Tresor de la Basilique De Saint Marc A Venise’ by Emile Molinier (in French) and ‘The Basilica Of S. Mark in Venice Illustrated From The Points Of View Of Art And History By Venetian Writers Under The Direction Of Prof. Camillo Boito’ (translated to English). The boxes created to contain the folios appear to be half bindings in moroccan leather with hinged lids, metal straps at the open side and speckled paper at the ‘page’ edges. The entirety of this project undertaken by Ferdinand Ongania is simply breathtaking, he organized commissions from historians, archaeologists and illustrators to document every detail of the Basilica and it is noteworthy to mention that an exhibit of this work was exhibited at St. Mark’s Museum (Venice) in 2011.

• This item is Ex-Libris, having been stored in a climate controlled facility and is being auctioned to benefit the Cincinnati Art Museum Library.

Condition

, the condition of the entire set is overall “Good”. Folio number 1 is complete, folio two is missing 21 plates with several also having very slight water damage at the edge. The boxes created to house the folios have taken the brunt of the wear as designed. The large folio box lids are detached at the hinge and the leather at the spine has deteriorated. The smaller boxes are in tact but also show wear. The folios themselves are in good condition with some slight age toning and little foxing. The images are in very good condition with the colors remaining vibrant and bright. The boxes have been stored in climate controlled storage for many years.

Dimensions

, the measurements refer to the largest two boxes with the folio measuring 28.5″ × 23″. Fourteen book boxes measure 19.5″ × 15″ with the folios being 16″ × 12.5″ and the two smaller boxes are 9" high x 12.5" wide with the documentation being 10″ × 8″.

Item #

14CIN096-001