A fine set with the arms of Pope Gregory XVI

Cesarini, Emidio (1796-1875).

Principj del diritto commerciale secondo lo spirito delle Leggi Pontificie. Opera di Emidio Cesarini Curiale Rotale... Rome, printed for the Author (tomes I-VII issued by various printers: tomes VIII-XII printed by Raggi Heirs), 1827-1836.

12 tomes bound in 10 volumes, 8° (186x120 mm; 197x125 mm).
I. XVI, 169, [1] pages. II. VII, [1], 176 pages. III. VII, [1], 72 [but 172] pages. IV. VII, [1], 174 [but 176] pages; V. [8], 216 pages. VI. [8], 215, [1] pages. VII. [8], 172 pages. VIII. [2], 174, [2] pages. IX.-X. 193, [1] pages; 103, [1] pages; XI.-XII. [8], 268 pages (tome XI: Indice analitico o sia Dizionario di commerciale giurisprudenza estratto da Principii del diritto commerciale, A-M); [4], 269-435, [1] pages (tome XII: Indice analitico o sia Dizionario di commerciale giurisprudenza estratto da Principii del diritto commerciale, N-V).
Small woodcut ornament on each title-page. Uniformly bound in contemporary calf, richly gilt-tooled. Covers within large borders, variously decorated. At the centre of each cover, the gilt coat of arms of Pope Gregory XVI, varying slightly between different versions. Smooth spines, divided into compartments by gilt fillets; compartments richly gilt tooled, title and volume numbering in gold on morocco lettering-piece. Board edges decorated in gilt. Marbled pastedowns and flyleaves. Silk bookmark in most volumes; gilt edges. On the front pastedown of each volume, a late nineteenth-century paper label bearing shelfmarks, from ‘F’ I. - 49’ to ‘F’ I. - 58.’; a more recent series of pencilled shelfmarks on each title-page. Set in excellent condition.

The first edition of the monumental Principj del diritto commerciale (Principles of Commercial Law) by the Rotal lawyer Cesarini, exceptionally complete with the last two volumes containing the indexes, and housed in richly tooled bindings bearing the arms of Pope Gregory XVI (1765-1846).

The work was originally intended as a commentary to the Regolamento provvisorio di commercio issued in 1821 by the Pope Pius VII. The project resulted in an unprecedentedly detailed analysis of the economy of Papal States, then still rather underdeveloped, that deals with all aspects of trade, including contracts, insurance, stock exchange, currency exchange and the role of bankers, money, circulation of capitals, maritime trade, and bankruptcy, among others. In the preface to the first volume, Cesarini declares his adherence to the model offered by the most recent research on the topic, undertaken by French economists, and in the following chapters outlines an interesting history of the origins of trade, an activity shown to be intimately related to human nature itself. The author systematically compares the Papal rules with those of canon and Roman law, and offers one of the first attempts to bestow a scientific status to this special field of law, still neglected by Italian jurists. Each volume is dedicated to a different Cardinal, revealing the author’s effort to obtain high patronage within the milieu of the Roman Curia.

The Principj was greatly appreciated, and positive reviews appeared in contemporary journals – such as the Biblioteca Italiana and the Nuovo giornale de’ letterati – praising Cesarini’s competence and clear style. Two other editions of the Principj followed, in Macerata in 1840 and in Rome in 1858, respectively, attesting the continued success of the work.

Moreover, Cesarini’s Principj played a significant role in the development of Italian studies in this field. The author was, in fact, one of the most engaged advocates for the creation of a chair for Commercial Law at the University of Rome, as evinced through his correspondence with various Prefects of the ‘Congregazione per gli Studi’. The chair was finally established in 1867, but Cesarini’s subsequent attempts to obtain it were in vain.

Complete sets of this important work rarely appear on the market, particularly those including – as with the present set – the last two volumes which include the meticulously compiled indexes. An additional feature of interest lies in the current set’s fine bindings, lavishly tooled and bearing the gilt coat of arms of Pope Gregory XVI. The covers, meanwhile, are framed with a variety of gilt borders, a veritable feast of ribbons, garlands, geometric rolls, and ornamental motifs, the tooling of which reflects the long publishing history of the work and thus simultaneously offers a sort of precious pattern book of Roman bindery in Cesarini’s age.

M. R. De Simone, “L’istituzione della prima cattedra di Diritto commerciale all’Università di Roma”, Annali di storia delle Università italiane, 15 (2011), pp. 301-316; Legature papali, esp. pls. 279 and 284.