Lamine d'oro orfiche - Angelo Tonelli
€300.00
Limited edition of 5 copies typeset by hand in original 19th-century movable types.
Language: Greek and Italian.
The ‘Orphic’ gold tablets are tiny scraps of gold foils engraved with precepts meant as instructions to enter the Afterlife. Those fascinating invocations are one of the first evidence of ancient Greek religion, and exerted a great influence on later Greek culture.
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This is one of 5 numbered copies letterpress-printed on laid Magnani paper, handmade* in Pescia, Tuscany.
(*) One by one, each sheet is made entirely by hand, in keeping with traditional craftsmanship.
PRINT RUN
A total of 162 numbered copies were printed, partly on European and partly on Asian papers, divided as follows:
. 74 copies were printed on cream-color Magnani paper, handmade* in Pescia;
. 33 on ivory-color Magnani handmade in Pescia;
. 8 on Zerkall cotton paper, made in Germany;
. 8 on white Magnani paper made in Pescia, Tuscany;
. 6 on Whatman paper made in Maidstone, Kent in the 1940s;
. 5 on laid Magnani paper handmade in Pescia, Tuscany;
. 5 on Burgo paper made in Maslianico, Como;
. 4 on Alcantara paper made in Aci Bonaccorsi, Sicily;
. 3 on Fabriano paper;
. 3 on white "Le Carte" paper, made by Magnani.
. 3 on ancient Montval paper, made in France;
. 3 on light-blue "Le Carte" paper, made by Magnani
. 2 on light-blue Fleurac paper made in France;
. 2 on Mitsumata paper, handmade by Toshiharu Kano in Japan.
. 2 on Gampi paper, handmade in Japan;
. 1 on ancient paper handmade in Japan.
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This is a bilingual edition (ancient Greek and Italian).
A volume in the 16mo format (cm11x18) of 70 pages typeset by hand in original 6-pt Neue Griechisch Cursive type, cast in 1885 by Shelter & Giesecke in Leipzig. These tiny types were cut by hand on steel punches using a fine burin, and cast by Nebiolo at the end of the 19th century.
The translations into Italian were handset in 6-pt Garaldus types, cast by Nebiolo in 1955.
The small size of the types chosen for this edition recalls the tiny dimensions of the original inscriptions.
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The ‘Orphic’ tablets date back to the V-III century b.C., and were found in graves throughout the ancient Greek world. They were destined to those initiated to the Orphism, in order to experience, in the afterlife, the identification with the One-Whole.
The Orphic creeds exerted great influence on later Greek culture: in fact, evidence of Orphic elements is found in the writings of many later Greek philosophies.
This is the Greek type case (6-point) used for the typesetting of the texts:
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Preface and Italian translation by Angelo Tonelli.
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The volume is housed in a hand-made slipcase and box, whose exteriors are covered with Ingres paper. The book title is letterpress-printed on the slipcase’s spine.
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Neither monotype nor linotype are used. These typesetting systems from a keyboard are often passed off as manual typography.
The Tallone Press does not print from plastic relief plates either. Derived from digital compositions, they are very much in vogue to simulate the effect of type impression onto the paper.
The number of movable types handled for the manual typesetting of this book, makes it an exceptional endeavor in contemporary fine printing. One by one, each sort was arranged on the composing stick to form the words and the lines of text.
Printed on very fine paper and sewn by hand, this collector’s edition is a sophisticated gift meant to last over time and designed to give the best reading experience possible.
Data sheet
- Size (cm)
- 11x18
- Typefaces
- Typeset by hand in 6 point Greek italic types, derived from the punches hand-cut in the 19th century and cast by Deberny in Paris, and in 6 point Garaldus roman and italic types, cast by Nebiolo in Turin.
- Number of pages
- 70
- Weight (kg)
- 0,6
Limited edition of 5 copies typeset by hand in original 19th-century movable types.
Language: Greek and Italian.
The ‘Orphic’ gold tablets are tiny scraps of gold foils engraved with precepts meant as instructions to enter the Afterlife. Those fascinating invocations are one of the first evidence of ancient Greek religion, and exerted a great influence on later Greek culture.