From the General Archives …
A Carmelite Incunabulum from 1499
The General Carmelite Library houses a precious incunabulum containing the Constitutiones Fratrum Ordinis Carmelitarum, edited by the Carmelite Giovanni Maria Polucci and printed in Venice on April 29, 1499, by the renowned printer Lucantonio Giunta.
The volume still displays the graphic and book features typical of contemporary manuscripts: on the opening page, in fact, we can see the beginning of the text in red ink, a calligraphic initial letter, a paragraph mark also in red, and the use of typefaces derived from Gothic script. The text is accompanied by an illustrative woodcut depicting the Annunciation [photo 1].
The same skilled woodcut artist is most likely responsible for the image preceding the opening page, which depicts the Vexilum Carmelitarum, supported by two angels, with the exquisitely crafted effigy of the Virgin of Mount Carmel in the center [photo 2].
The volume closes with a rich and detailed colophon providing information on the content, the printer, the place and date of printing [photo 3].
