Mining Library Treasures

‘L’osservatore of special volumes’

In 1808 the first part of L’osservatore delle belle arti in Roma by Michelangelo Prunetti (1765 – 1822), author, illustrator and librettist, was published in Italy. It is a travel guide containing descriptions of the eastern part of the city of Rome. A few years later, in 1811, the sequel appeared, describing the western part. The author guides the reader through this city that breathes history with its countless bridges, squares, churches and monuments. Unfortunately, we do not know much about Prunetti himself. The years of his life are based on the appearance of his treatises, starting probably in 1765 and ending shortly after his last work in 1822. Even though there is a lack of information about Prunetti, we can say a lot about the materiality of his books. So, what exactly makes these books unique?

Probably the first thing that catches the eye, when holding one of the volumes in your hand, is the cover itself, which is the original. The cover can be made of parchment or leather, which are both the result of the leather making process using animal skin. By looking at the grains in the skin – by this I refer to the pattern of the animal skin or the follicle pattern, the places where the hairs once were – we can say something about the animal that was used to fabricate the leather. In this case, I assume that it concerns goatskin. When you tilt the book towards the light, the pattern is illuminated and you will be able to see that the follicle pattern contains pores in a row, mostly parallel and laying in the grooves of the grain. This is characteristic for goatskin (see fig. 1; the cover of the book). 

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Furthermore, the cover is quite sober, only containing Prunetti’s name and mentioning the correct volume on the spine of the book. But then again, if you tilt the book to take a look at the other side of the spine, where the pages are pressed together, the so-called edge, you see a pattern is applied. This edge can stay blank or untreated, but there are also cases where the title of the book is printed on the edge. In particular, edges that are decorated with gold, paint or other treatments can give the book a special touch. There are loads of techniques for applying these kinds of adornments: stained edges, paste edges, sprinkled edges or marbled edges. When we take a look at the volumes of Prunetti, a red-green pattern is shown, probably applied with a marbled technique (see fig. 2; both volumes). 

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Marbled paper has a typical appearance, because of the fluid lines that create special patterns. The colors are actually literally fluid, since the technique requires applying the colors on water, instead of directly on the paper. Therefore, one has to be careful and precise while working on the pattern. Gently tip a paintbrush – one can use different thicknesses – in ink and dip it on a scale filled with water. The ink will now drift on the water, making its own form. One can apply as many different colours as wanted, just watch the patterns evolve. By waving with a fan or slightly pulling the brush through the water, the process can be influenced.  When finished, slowly put some rice paper on your pattern in the water and let the paper take in the ink. Remove the paper from the water and let it dry – this is a basic explanation of the marble technique.

This technique stimulated the use of decorated paper.  This kind of paper was then used for several aims: to embellish books, to cover walls or boxes, trunks and containers like for example musical containers. Especially in old books decorated paper was used on the board leafs.

Despite the fact that this type of decorated paper was popular, the marbler’s craft are least investigated and comprehended. This was mostly due to the limited manner in which the trade in former times was conducted, which resulted in guarded and limited literature.

Another aspect that stands out when we look at the external features of the book, is the size. It was printed in duodecimo size and therefore easy to bring along while travelling. Also, this means that it is quite special that these kinds of books still exist, since travel guides are often thrown away after using them. The books are not illustrated, which is a pity because it would have contributed to their functionality.

There is an ex-libris applied on the inside of book. In this case it means the book was in the possession of Dr. Oskar Pollak (1883 – 1915). Pollak was an art historian who has bought many travel guides. Luckily these books have been kept, because some travel guides can also tell a lot about a specific culture. They can describe characteristics of the people, like their clothes and behavior (see fig. 3; ex-libris).

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Thereafter the printer is mentioned on the title page. The first volume was printed by Gioacchino Puccinelli and the second by Crispino Puccinelli. The Puccinelli family consisted of a long tradition of printers and booksellers, therefore they were very important and influential. The address of their business is also mentioned: S. Andrea della Valle (see fig. 4; title-pages).

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So, although little is know about Prunetti, there is a lot to tell about his work. An analysis like this makes it possible to trace special characteristics and customs that were typical at that time.

Noëlle Mebarki (1994) is a master student Book Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Besides her specialization in children’s books, she has a huge interest in old books.