First and only edition of a splendid work on Neapolitan costumes, with 31 vividly hand coloured plates. They depict the beautiful costumes worn during the ball given by King Ferdinand II of the two Sicilies (1810-1859) on the 20th of February 1854, during the Carnival. The plates were designed by the Italian painter Luigi Marta (1790-1858), who was known for the high level of detail in his work, and his ability to capture his subjects in a meticulous and realistic manner.
Ferdinand II greatly enjoyed parties and organised numerous galas during his reign. The Carnival ball, however, was the highlight of the year. Held in the Teatro di San Carlo, the king spared no expenses for it. Between 400 to 1600 guests attended, including Neapolitan nobility, illustrious foreigners, and diplomats. The ball itself was often accompanied by tournaments or other spectacular events, and would last for multiple days. For the 1854 gala, which was the final one, the king wanted to paint a picture of past eras, so the guest had to dress in older fashions. Their costumes were created by local artisans and craftsmen, most likely the costumers working for the theatre. They started researching months in advance in order to make the clothing as historically accurate as possible. The results of their labour are depicted in the present work.
The present work contains 31 very large plates, depicting the beautiful costumes from the different eras. The first two plates show a general overview of the San Carlo theatre and the guests, but the other plates show smaller groups of attendants. These groups are fairly cohesive and their costumes usually seem to centre around the same theme or time period. The women on plates XVII and XVIII, for example, all represent different countries, like Poland, Hungary, and Greece. The captions below the plates mention the names of the guests, usually members of the nobility . King Ferdinand II and his wife are the central characters on the third plate. Infante Sebastião of Spain and Portugal (1811-1875), who married Ferdinand's sister, can be found on plate IV.
The plates were designed by Marta, and lithographed by 11 different artists. They were printed by Imprimerie Bertauts in Paris as tinted lithographs, and beautifully finished by hand. The work is relatively scarce.
The edges and corners of the boards are scuffed, with some loss of leather at the foot of the spine and the corners of the boards, the front joint is weakened, but the structural integrity of the binding is still intact, the boards are somewhat scratched. The letterpress leaf, some of the tissue paper guards, and some of the plates are somewhat foxed, without affecting the image, lacking the chromolithographed title page before the dedication. Otherwise in good condition. Bobins 589; Colas 1994; Hiler & Hiler, p. 572; Lipperheide 2781; OPAC SBN TO01455576 (5 copies in Italian libraries); WorldCat 39296034, 62937092 (3 copies).