FOLIO SOCIETY METAMORPHOSES Ovid Limited Edition 2008

Description: Folio Society Numbered Limited Edition – METAMORPHOSES by Ovid Metamorphoses, Ovid’s epic poem of Gods and mortals, is one of the most seductive and influential works ever written. Written 2,000 years ago, it has inspired poets and artists through the ages. In the 16th century, the Italian master Titian created a series of sublime paintings based on scenes from Metamorphoses. This Folio Society limited edition, with tipped-in colour plates and gatefolds, was the first ever to show these extraordinary painting in their true context. Ovid’s Metamorphoses is a mythological epic containing around 250 tales of Gods and maidens, monsters and heroes. Combining comedy and tragedy, it aimed to give the history of the world from creation to the deification of Julius Caesar. For centuries, it was the only written source of stories such as Persephone in the underworld, Echo and Narcissus, Theseus and the Minotaur and other defining classical myths. Its influence on Western culture cannot be overstated. Ovid’s theme is the transforming power of passion over gods and mortals. Yet the ultimate shape-shifter is the poem itself. In Ovid’s sinuous and witty narrative, each story flows seamlessly into the next, in a structure that still feels revolutionary. Metamorphoses was translated by Arthur Golding in 1567 and it was this version which Shakespeare drew on for plays such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest. The translation put classical mythology within the reach of those without Latin or Greek and was a major English epic in its own right Tiziano Vecellio (1488/90-1576), better known as Titian, was the most celebrated painter in Venice and one of the greatest in all Europe. He painted scenes from Metamorphoses throughout his long career, immersing himself in a poetic world filled with symbolism, passion and drama. In 1553-62, he undertook his most concerted response to Ovid: six scenes from Metamorphoses, known as the Poesie, for Philip II of Spain. The Poesie (painted poems) were intended to showcase Titian’s skills, while providing a feast for the royal senses. Titian’s aim was to show the female nude in a variety of contrasting positions, thus refuting the popular criticism that, unlike sculptors, painters were unable to show the same object from different angles. From the joyful dynamism of his early Bacchus and Ariadne to later, more sombre paintings like The Death of Actaeon and The Flaying of Marsyas, the range of style and emotions in these paintings reflects the genius both of the artist and the poet who inspired him. Here, these painting are reproducted for the first time as illustrations for Metamorphoses. Arthur Golding’s translation and Titian’s Renaissance paintings create a perfect marriage of word and image. This limited edition includes an introduction to the translation by Madeleine Forey and a new essay on Ovid and Titian by Michael Prodger as well as a complete index of all the figure and myths mentioned in the poem. PRODUCTION DETAILS:- • Translated by Arthur Golding• Limited to 2750 numbered copies• Each copy hand-numbered on a special limitation page• Printed by Memminger MedienCentrum on Vizille Ivoire Laid paper • Bound by Lachenmaier of Germany, in full Nigeria goatskin and blocked in gold with a design by Simon Brett• Gilded top edge and ribbon marker • Printed endpapers • Set in Centaur• 484 pages with 16 tipped-in colour plates, 2 with a gatefold• Presented in a gold-blocked solander box• Book size 13" x 9¾" CONDITION: Book appears UNREAD and in VERY GOOD condition with the exception of 2 tiny faint spots of rubbing on the top of the front board (see photo 6). No inscriptions, bookplates etc.. Solander box is also in VERY GOOD condition with very light shelf wear (see photos). Due to the heavy weight of the book (approx 6 kilos when packed), postage will be via the Royal Mail Special Delivery service at a cost of £9.50 All items are sent at cost price whether purchasing a single or multiple items. Due to size, weight and value considerations it is not possible to accurately calculate combined postage automatically. Always feel free to ask or if purchases require immediate payment I will refund any difference. All items must be sent to the address stipulated during the payment process. All items are sent via recorded delivery unless they are of little monetary value. Virtually all my items are available through the global shipping program (GSP) to designated countries outside the UK. Please note I have no control over international postage costs. I do not set these, eBay's GSP does, I send the items to an address in the UK and am not even aware of the country for which they are destined. Items purchased through the GSP must be sent via the GSP shipping centre. Please ask any questions before buying FR PB 12 (682)

Price: 390 GBP

Location: UK

End Time: 2024-11-23T21:20:10.000Z

Shipping Cost: 69.68 GBP