The Poliphilo and other Aldines Reconsidered in the Context of the Production of Decorated Books in Venice

The woodcut illustrations of the first edition of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, printed in 1499 by Aldus Manutius, are central to the Venetian Renaissance evocation of a dream world set in an antique landscape. The problem of identifying the artists involved in the woodcuts has been entangled with controversy over the identity of the author of the book, and obscured by scholars applying a modern paradigm of art to the fifteenth-century production of printed books. This thesis demystifies the development of the Poliphilo images and clarifies the attribution problem through study of the typical production of early woodcuts in books, particularly of woodcuts in other Aldines, and of contemporary book illuminations. Such study indicates that the beauty and influence of the Poliphilo woodcuts is not indebted to the genius of one particular artist; rather, the Poliphilo images were produced by several groups of people overseen by the publisher Crasso and printer Aldus. The problem of identifying one Poliphilo artist must therefore be reconsidered as identifying personalities key to the evolution of the images. The first key personality is the author of the book, to whom can be ascribed the new subjects for illustration. The translation of the author's original drawings into woodcut designs can be attributed to intermediate designers, who were commonly professional miniaturists in this period of the transition from script to print. The hesitation of some scholars to attribute the woodcuts to the miniaturist Benedetto Bordon can be mitigated by the model proposed, because Bordon would have been only partly responsible for the intermediate images. Bordon's literary interests, and possible ongoing association with the publisher Aldus, as indicated by miniatures and woodcuts of his style in other Aldines, further point to his participation in this project. The third key group of artisans, the woodcutters in the classic style, remain anonymous, although to them must be attributed the brilliant execution of the final woodcuts. Finally, the high quality of the entire production of the book was dependent upon the sponsorship by Crasso united with Aldus' printing expertise and experience. Two appendices catalogue illustrated and illuminated Aldines.