GIOVANNI ANTONIO MORANDO, 1554
Morando is not known to have produced any other edition besides this 1554
Dante con nuove et utilissime annotationi (Dante with new and useful
annotations). His printer's mark was never used by any other printer, and
depicts a fruit tree illuminated by the sun with the motto Ubi primum
tepefeceris maturescent (Where you warm them first, they will ripen).
In this edition the direction of influence between Lyons and Venice is for
once reversed: the 1554 Venetian Morando edition reproduces the 1551 Rovillé,
including the Dante portrait and celebratory sonnet as well as the Letter
to the readers, here left unsigned. This edition is distinguished by very
fine and often curious capitals. The larger ones at the beginning of each
of the first two cantiche depict views of unidentified walled cities,
while the Paradiso presents an elegant putto capital opposite an
illustration from the 1544 Vellutello Marcolini edition.
Dennis Rhodes, Silent Printers (British Library, 1995, p. 68), believes
the printer of this edition was actually Comin da Trino based on the use
of the initial capitals found in the text.
