Le Glorie degl'Apostoli, e de Martiri nella Propagazion della Fede. Discorsi accademici. Manuscript on paper in Italian and Latin. Venice, first quarter of the 18th century (possibly 1706)

228x169 mm. 1 blank, title leaf, 27, 2 blank leaves. Complete. Nicely bound in contemporary calf gilt and decorated with geometric patterns, on the panel gilt coat-of-arms of Pietro Barbarigo (1671-1725), pastedowns covered with golden and red damask paper, gilt edges (worn and rubbed, pastedowns stained and faded). Large pale staining to the inner margin throughout the volume.
The manuscript contains prose and verse texts in Italian, with the exception of one text in Latin, which discuss who had more merit in propagating the faith among the Apostles and Martyrs. The texts first argue in favor of one group against the other, and vice versa, and then conclude that both groups were essential to disseminating the Christian faith in the early period.
These texts, which are apparently unpublished and unrecorded, are addressed to a religious and academic audience and include declamations, dialogues, and poetic compositions in the form of canzoni, sonnets, madrigals, and an ode dedicated to the Patriarch of Venice, Pietro Barbarigo, whose name is disguised in the poem.
Barbarigo was appointed Patriarch of Venice on May 8, 1706, and remained in charge until his death on May 10, 1725 (G. F. Torcellan, Barbarigo, Pietro, in: “Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani”, vol. 6, Rome, 1964, s.v.).
It is thus presumable that, even though there were three other Barbarigo high prelates around in the same years, the coat-of-arms topped by the galero hat with six strings on the present binding belonged to him, and the book was given to him as a gift on his appointment as patriarch.