De Bello Italico Commentarius is an account of the 1494-5 Italian War, an invasion of the Italian peninsula by the French king Charles VIII.

Rucellai was a supporter of the Medici family and a confidant of Lorenzo de’ Medici (1449-92), the long-time ruler of Florence. On Lorenzo’s death, he was succeeded by his son, Piero who was unable to maintain the fragile system of alliances in Italy. Taking advantage of the situation, the enemies of the Medici sought the support of Charles and in November 1494, the French army approached Florence. Despite attempts to make peace – Rucellai was among the negotiators – Piero and his allies fled, and a new republic was established under Girolamo Savonarola and, from 1502, Piero Soderini. The Medici would return to power in Florence on the capture of the city by Giovanni de’ Medici in 1512.

This edition of Rucellai’s work was published in 1724 by John Brindley. The Royal Library holds two copies (see also RCIN 1046924), both bearing fore-edge paintings depicting the coat of arms of George I and were perhaps intended for presentation to the king. While a copy of the book is listed in the library of Queen Caroline, consort of George II, it cannot be confirmed if either of the books now in the Royal Library belonged to her. This copy, acquired by Queen Mary around 1919, was one of the books selected by Olwen Hedley in the 1960s as a fine example of bookbinding in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. Hedley’s ‘Additional Bookbindings’ serve as a supplement to the catalogue of fine bindings compiled in 1893 by the Royal Librarian Richard Rivington Holmes.


Binding information

Contemporary red goatskin binding, with gold-tooling on both sides and spine.

On both sides, an outer single fillet and triangular roll border, surmounted by an inner border of crown and sprouting flower tools, each with finials and interspersed with stars. In the centre, a diamond-shaped hatched motif, the spaces filled with golden fleece and arabesque tools and filled with stars, the outer edges bordered with fleurs-de-lis fleurons, with the left and right corners surmounted by arabesque tools and the upper and lower with crowns.

Sides and insides of both boards gold-tooled with zig-zag roll.

Spine divided into seven compartments by raised bands, each tooled with a flower-head and vine roll. Second compartment contains a single fillet and triangular roll border, with the title: ‘ORICEL- / LAR . DE / BELLO / ITALICO’; all other compartments tooled with a single fillet and triangular roll border alternating corner tools of flower-heads, stars and fleurons and alternating looping vine or sprouting flower centre tools. Head and tail of spine tooled with fillet and triangular and vine rolls.

Contemporary marble endpapers.

Fore-edge painting showing the arms of George I surrounded by the garter and surmounted by an imperial crown and lion, flanked by a lion and unicorn rampant, with an unfurling ribbon below; above and below the arms, two pairs of roses and purple flowers, surrounded by green fronds.