1591 Spanish Court Life 1ed Guevara Menosprecio Social Classes Servants Geneva

1591 Spanish Court Life 1^ed Guevara Menosprecio Social Classes Servants Geneva

Antonio Guevara, a 15^th-century man of letters, grew up in the court of Ferdinand and Isabella in Spain. His work, now, is considered of little more than historical interest, but his writing style and contents reflect the tastes of the court of Charles V, who he was writing for later in his life.

One of his works was his perspective of court life in the 16^th-century. According to McDaniel “Menosprecio de corte y alabança de aldea”

“described the pitfalls and wickedness of life at court by comparing to what was an undoubtedly rose and idyllic image of country life.”

Guevara offers descriptions of both servants and nobles and how they intermingled with each other in the same setting noting, in one example, how kitchen servants would steal table scraps from their master’s table, hidden under their clothes, just to survive. “Menosprecio” describes the use of money in the 16^th-century and the extreme divides in social classes in Spain.

This 1591 first edition curiously includes three separate translations in Spanish, French, and Latin with each language appearing on each page (see photos for example).

Item number: #26886

Price: $1500

GUEVARA, Antonio de

Libro llamado Menosprecio de corte y alabança de aldea

[Geneva]: J. de Tournes, 1591. First edition.

Details:

• Collation:
  • [8], 551, [1]
    • Wanting 547-550
  • References: USTC 343021; Sean McDaniel, “Menosprecio de corte” Read as a Picaresque Text;
  • Language: Spanish / French / Italian
  • Binding: Vellum; tight and secure
    • Includes hardcover slipcase
  • Size: ~4.75in X 3.25in (12cm x 8.5cm)
  • Very rare and desirable with auction records and price comparisons at $4500

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26886