Li Miraculi de la Madonna

Li Miraculi de la Madonna

A beautiful, strange, and odd book, an incunabulum (pre–1501 printed book) containing 62 Marian miracles and existing only in two surviving specimens. At the beginning of the 20th century, Leo S. Olschki wrote that this copy was in the collections of the Biblioteca Melzi, then owned by Louise di Soragna Melzi, in Milan. The Italian text is adorned by 25 printed graphics, some of which repeat, and small initials. The codex indicates that it was printed on March 2nd, 1496, but does not specify by whom. However, researchers have attributed Li Miraculi de la Madonna to the workshop of Simón de Gabis, also known as de Bevilaqua, a printer from Pavía who rarely used his real name in his prints. After being active in Vicenza from 1487 to 1491, during which time he undertook six printing projects, de Gabis moved his shop from the mainland of the Veneto to its island capital of Venice in 1492. There he worked through the end of the century creating fascinating works like the specimen at hand.