Bidspirit auction | [HISTORY] - SCARCE AND EXTENSIVELY

[HISTORY] - SCARCE AND EXTENSIVELY ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF CACCAMO’S ANTIQUITY AND NOBILITY — PALERMO, 1661 - Inveges Agostino - Inveges, Agostino La Cartagine Siciliana. Historia divisa in due libri. Palermo, Giuseppe Bisagni, 1661. 4to ( 212 x 154 mm) contemporary half-vellum with patterned paper-covered boards, red speckled edges. Spine label mostly intact; some wear and loss at the foot of the spine and corners. Title-page partially detached from binding. [2], 527 pp. Profusely illustrated with numerous woodcut coats of arms, emblems, and decorative initials throughout the text. Early marginalia in ink on several leaves, including a full-page contemporary annotation. A few minor stains, small tears, and worm traces; overall a firm and attractive copy. First edition of this richly illustrated local chronicle by Agostino Inveges (1595–1677), a Sicilian priest and historian. The first book discusses the etymology, topography, and mythic origins of Caccamo, suggesting Phoenician-Carthaginian roots. The second, more substantial section is a detailed genealogy of 14 noble families that governed or influenced the city from Norman to Spanish rule. The volume’s visual richness—including many heraldic woodcuts and elaborate typographical elements—makes it not only a textual but also a graphic testimony of Baroque Sicilian civic pride and noble lineage. A rare and visually compelling source for the study of Sicilian aristocracy, heraldry, and historiographical tradition in early modern Southern Italy.