DANTE ALIGHIERI; ROSSETTI, Dante Gabriel (illus.).

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

La Vita Nuova. Second edition thus, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti's illustrations, this copy beautifully bound in contemporary vellum.Vita Nova was the first of two verse collections Dante wrote during his lifetime. Published in 1294, the work combines poetry and prose to address the themes of courtly love. Rossetti translated it into English in 1848 and frequently used it as inspiration for his paintings, including The Salutation of Beatrice (1859). The Editrice Nazionale edition was first published by Roux e Viarengo in 1902.This copy belonged to Alice 'Nona' Molson (1874-1933), who travelled from Canada to London during the First World War to serve as a nurse in the Voluntary Aid Detachment. She was awarded the British Red Cross Medal in recognition of her services. Her bookplate is on the front pastedown, and a gift inscription to her from her cousin Evelyn Russel (1881-1969) is dated 1907 on the first blank.

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