The Ilia Chavchavadze National Library of Georgia is to make a historical addition to its collection with the planned acquisition of a rare 1481 edition of Dante Alighieri’s ‘Divine Comedy’. Currently owned by French antiquarian bookseller Jean-Baptiste de Proiart, the historic volume is valued at 110,000 euros. The library has submitted a request for a simplified procurement to the Procurement Agency to close the purchase.
The edition is the second printing of Dante’s masterpiece, but the first to be published in the poet’s hometown of Florence. The folio-format work features engraved illustrations by Baccio Baldini, created from sketches by Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli. As an incunabulum, a hand-assembled printed book from the earliest era of printing, it represents a significant artifact of literary and artistic history.
“The fact that the National Library of Georgia has decided and has the opportunity to acquire a 1481 incunabulum is of historical significance,” the institution said in a statement. “It will take an honorable place in the unique collection of the Book Museum, enhancing the Library’s cultural prestige on the international stage.”
The library emphasized that obtaining this edition of ‘The Divine Comedy’ is exclusive to its holdings.
