Italian Cities | 2-Volume Set (1900, First Edition)

By Edwin H. Blashfield & Evangeline W. Blashfield

A beautifully preserved two-volume set of Italian Cities published in 1900 by Charles Scribner’s Sons. This richly illustrated and eloquently written work takes the reader on a sweeping tour through the cultural, artistic, and historical marvels of Italy’s greatest cities—Ravenna, Siena, Florence, Parma, Assisi, Mantua, and more.

Bound in olive green cloth with gilt-embossed armorial shields to front boards and spines, the design evokes the heraldry of the Italian city-states. The books feature gilt top edges with deckled side/bottom edges and high-quality laid paper, with black and red title pages. Light wear to corners and spine ends. Gilt decoration remains bright. Interiors are clean and tight. A stunning and well-kept set for collectors of travel writing, art history, or fine bindings. 296pp, 310pp.

Volume I Covers:
    •    Ravenna (Byzantine art, mosaics, Christian sculpture)
    •    Siena (Palazzo Pubblico, festivals, art patrons, Sienese painters)
    •    Florence and Parma

Volume II Covers:
    •    Perugia, Cortona, Spoleto, and Assisi (focus on Franciscan themes and Umbrian art)
    •    Raphael in Rome (Stanze, Vatican frescoes, Signatura)
    •    Florentine Sketches (Brunelleschi, Giotto, Dante’s Florence)
    •    Mantua (Mantegna and Renaissance architecture)

Condition: Near Fine

Size: 5 1/2” x 8”

A striking blend of travel writing, art criticism, and cultural commentary from the turn of the 20th century.