AZ ORSZÁGOS SZÉCHÉNYI KÖNYVTÁR ÉVKÖNYVE 1976-1977. Budapest (1979)

II. Az OSZK gyűjteményeiből és történetéből - Soltész Zoltánné: A velencei Franceschi-cég és Matteo Pagano nyomdásznév nélkül kiadott, 16. századi, ritka nyomtatványai - The 16th century popular prints of the Franceschi printing office and Matteo Pagano's press, published without the printer's name

The 16

th century popular prints of the Franceschi printing office and Matteo Pagano* s press, published without the printer s name E. SOLTÉSZ The volume (Ant. 7065) held by the National Széchényi Library in Hungary contains eighty-one 16

th century popular prints. The book is made up of such rarities which are not to be found either in many largest libraries of Europe or in the towns where they were published. Most of them are narratives in prose or in verse dealing with lay subjects. Seven of them are on some religious theme, while three shorter ones cover the events of the wars against the Turks. Of these 81 prints only 29 give the place of the publication, and only 4 the name of the printer. Of the latter four the Venice printers Francesco de TOMMASO DI SALO and Pietro dei FRANCESCHI brought out one each, while the printing office of Giacomo GHEDINI in Venice produced two booklets. In the present article the author identifies the printer or publisher of further 25 popular prints. 18 publications have identical imprints: "In Frezzaria al Segno della Regina". They were the productions of the Venice firm FRANCESCHI, published by Domenico and Pietro dei FRANCESCHI respectively. The work entitled Vita miserabile (Piece 50) was also brought out by the FRANCESCHI printing office, as its woodcut border on the title page is identical with one of the print Frottola d'vna cingana (Piece 59), published by FRANCESCHI with the above mentioned imprint. The same firm must have been the publisher of the works Vna nova canzone (Piece 12.) and Opera nova (Piece 58.) as both have the same frontispiece-frame as the booklet Scvdo a" amanti (Piece 80) carrying the imprint "Al Segno della Regina". The 27

th piece of the volume, Ganzon piacevole, is the print of Domenico dei Franceschi. Its woodcut border — showing the monogram D f — is identical with that of La Qigantea. (See: ANGELERI op. cit. Nr. 170.) Three further prints have the same woodcut border showing the monogram M P and a symbol (two joining hands with the subscription Fede), which must refer to the Venice printer Matteo PA GANG-, who sometimes used the imprint "Al Segno della Fede". Consequently pieces 13, 19 and 79 in the volume (Ant. 7065) must be the publications of Matteo PAGANO. Thus out of the identified 25 prints 22 were published by the Venice printers Domenico et Pietro dei FRANCESCHI, and three valuable other popular prints were brought out by Matteo PAGANO. The article lists the short titles of the identified 25 prints in alphabetical order of the publishers. 120