The next Aste Bolaffi auction at
Milan's Grand Hotel on June 22 will include 782 lots of rare
books and autographed items.
Highlights include the unpublished letters of the Italian
poet Gariele D'Annunzio and the diary of the Italian fascist
Roberto Farinacci.
The letters are part of the correspondence between D'Annuzio
and Giovanni Rizzo, the prefect who watched over the poet's life
and activities on behalf of the Fascist government during the
years he spent at Lake Garda.
The correspondence includes 83 signed letters with a starting
price of 20,000 euros. The letters by D'Annunzio have never
before been published and hold historical and political value,
since the poet used Rizzo to amplify his positions and to convey
messages to Prime Minister Benito Mussolini.
The signed, typewritten diary of Fascist party secretary
Roberto Farinacci will also have a starting price of 20,000
euros and be accompanied by copies of newspapers and court
documents from a trial that began in 1947, two years after he
was executed by firing squad in Vimercate. At that time his
heirs opposed the publication of them.
The documents show that Farinacci distanced himself
significantly from the line taken by Mussolini.
Playbills and postcards signed by Maria Callas will also be
included, as well as one of her private letters written in Rome
in 1969 prior to leaving for Turkey and one in Monetcarlo in
1961 that was addressed to her Bologna-based admirer Paolo
Barbieri, who later became a friend (lots 737 and 746, with a
starting price of 1,000 euros each).
In the books section, a highlight is lot 501: the most famous
atlas of the 16th century with 363 views of 543 cities,
'Civitates Orbis Terrarum', with a starting price of 50,000
euros.
"This is the 'lighthouse' of the auction," Aste Bolaffi
Business Developer Cristiano Collari said, "one of the most
famous books of this type. It is the most beautiful copy that
has ever gone on auction, with a red Morocco leather binding
from the 18th century."
The works of Giambattista Bodoni from Marche native Lorenzo
Solari's collection are another highlight, with 271 lots up for
bidding. It is the largest private collection of the works of
Bodoni, who is considered one of the most important publishers
and printer in Italy and the world between the mid-18th century
and the early nineteenth century.
The collection includes editions on exotic characters,
including the 'Manuale Tipografico' from 1818, the result of 40
years of work that was completed by his wife. Bidding will start
at 14,000 euros.
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