Le Monache in gala. Poemetto di Canfresco Puresatti.
Monaco (Milano): Nella Stamperia Trasupeti all’insegna del Portico aperto, 1774. Item #1222 8vo. 180 x 125 mm., [5 x 7 inches]. [8], 100, [2 blanks], errata, [1 blank].Original publisher’s marbled paper wrappers. Very good copy. Only edition of this poem, written by Francesco Pertusati, who signed the work with the pseudonym and anagram Canfresco Puresatti. It was printed at the author’s expense with a false place of printing and not offered for sale. In an article written by Giovanni De Castro, Pertusati wrote two poems on the Nuns of Santa Lucia, but only printed Le Monache in gala. Written in the playful style of Goldoni, he regretted having published the poem and “withdrew the few copies he had printed” and dedicated the remainder of his life to more serious pursuits. The manuscripts of Pertusati’s poems are conserved in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan. The text of the poem is an affectionate and playful rendering of an outing to Milan by a group of nuns. He describes the preparation for the trip, the secular habits and bonnets they wore, and the decorative with ribbons that adorn the dress. He records the nuns’ reactions to strolling through the Piazzas Cordusio and Broletto, and reports on what they saw on the Corso where so many people congregated in the square. The nuns insisted on visiting the Brera Observatory and were introduced to the local astronomer who greeted them when they arrived. They even enjoyed a cold drink and chatted with one another about the wonder of their visit. Count Francesco Pertusati was born in Milan in 1741. He spent much of his time writing good comedies and farces with moral themes and he built a small theater in his home for the entertainment of children. He also had a small printing press installed where he printed this book in only a few copies. He used various imprints including Palermo and Monaco and called his press either, Stamperia Setuprati or Stamperia Trasupeti. Parenti, Dizionario, Lexicon Typographicum p. 221. See Gaetano Melzi, Dizionario di opere anonime e pseudonime di scrittori italiani, for attribution of the work to Pertusati. Giovanni De Castro. Milano e la Repubblica Cisalpina guista le poesie le caricataure ed alter testimonianze dei tempi. 1879, p. 36.
Not cited in NUC or OCLC. Two copies are recorded in the Italian Union Catalogue (ICCU), in Milano and Rome.
Price: $3,000.00