Portrait gallery: "Dottori Modonesi"
My Flickr frenzy continues… Another new portrait gallery in the Rare Book Collection’s section of the Yale Law Library Flickr site comes from Lodovico Vedriani’s Dottori Modonesi di teologia, filosofia, legge canonica, e civile (Modena, 1665). The majority of the 36 portraits are of the leaders of Modena’s legal profession, along with churchmen, diplomats, politicians, and authors. One woman is included: Tarquinia Molza. Each portrait is accompanied by a lengthy panegyric highlighting the individual’s virtues and accomplishments.
The example below is of Aurelio Bellencini, “gran leggista,” one of four Bellencini family members pictured in the book.
Our copy of Dottori Modonesi is bound with Vedriani’s most well-known work, Raccolta de pittori, scultori et architetti modonesi (Modena, 1662), an important source for art historians. Our copy is also notable for having once formed part of the enormous private library of Richard Heber (1773-1833).
MIKE WIDENER
Rare Book Librarian
