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L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare interior highlight of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
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  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare interior highlight of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare selected detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare selected detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare selected detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare selected detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare interior highlight of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare feature view of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare feature view of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare notable image of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare interior highlight of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare interior highlight of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare selected detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare selected detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare selected detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare selected detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare interior highlight of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare feature view of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare feature view of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare notable image of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare detail of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
  • L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare by Stefani, Bartolomeo, a rare interior highlight of the 1677 - gastronomy book.
L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare

Italian Court Cuisine with centuries of character

Stefani, Bartolomeo

L'Arte Di Ben Cucinare
Et Instruire I Men Periti In Questa Lodevole Professione. Dove Anco S'Insegna A Far Pasticci, Sapori, Salse, Gelatine, Torte, & Altro. Di Bartolomeo Stefani Cuoco Di S.A. S. Di Mantova. In Quest'Ultima Impressione Nuovamente Aggiornata.

1677, Venezia, Curti, Stefano

$700 USD

Overview

This Venetian edition of 1677 reflects the grandeur of the Gonzaga court, although Stefani was the first cook to include a section on “ordinary fare”, extending the scope of aristocratic cuisine beyond the ceremonial.

Inside the book

On top of centuries-old recipes, this volume also records one of the three banquets offered by Duke Carlo for Queen Christina of Sweden on Christmas Eve, 1655, with detailed accounts of the food and table settings for each guest, including knife, fork, spoon, glass, plate (replacing the more common bowl), and napkin.
The work stands as a significant testimony to seventeenth-century courtly dining and to the evolution of French-influenced culinary practice in Italy.

Why La Fenice chose it

Though modest in size and worn from use, this 1677 Venetian edition of Stefani’s Arte di Ben Cucinare conveys all the grandeur of the Gonzaga court: a book not preserved for show, but alive in the kitchens it once served.
Condition Report

Pp. 230, [10].

Contemporary limp vellum; manuscript title on spine. Endpapers missing. Title page within typographic border with central ornament, damaged at outer margin (text complete though the damage affects the border); early handwritten note in lower margin. Final 5 index leaves damaged at upper right corner, with some loss of text. Pages 100, 101 misnumbered as 110, 111, and p. 187 misnumbered as 197. Some early manuscript annotations in the text. The volume shows clear signs of use, though fortunately the defects do not affect legibility. Overall a good copy.

Dimensions (inches): 6.5 x 3.5 x 0.3/4
About the author

Bartolomeo Stefani (17th c.), Bolognese chef to the Gonzaga of Mantua, author of L’arte di ben cucinare (1662).

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