The translated latrine inscriptions of the Palazzo Davanzati /
Simon Cutts ; translated by Judith Blackall and Pietro Goretti.
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| Summary: | "The Palazzo Davanzati in Via Porta Rossa, Firenze, was built around the middle of the 14th century. It contained not only one of the first sewage systems, but also perhaps the first graffiti in the form of inscription on the lavatory walls. These may have been produced by citizens, who whilst waiting their turn to be assessed for land valuation, killed time and found an outlet for their impatience by writing on the walls. All of the inscriptions were made by quite unskilled hands, often devoid of the most rudimentary notion of spelling. The words also prove difficult to decipher both because they are at times barely distinguishable from the plaster surface, and because they have often been superimposed over each other. On occasions, as a result of an unusual character being included in the word, doubts are raised as to whether a number of them have been adulterated by later additions. A series of dots indicate that the phrase would certainly have gone on or that there are barely perceptible traces of words on the plaster surface which are actually legible"--Afterword. |
| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English Italian |
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[Clonmel, Tipperary, Ireland] :
[Coracle Books],
2015.
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| Place Name: | Europe. Ireland -- Clonmel. |
| Edition: | Second edition. |
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| Notes: | Limited second edition of 300 copies. The first edition of 200 hardback copies was printed in 1993. "The book contains transcriptions and translations of graffiti found in the latrines of the Palazzo Devanzai which was built in Florence in the 14th century. Some of the inscriptions are dated, some are not, all are translated. The book also provides a floorplan of the interior of the Palazzo showing where the graffiti were found"--Johanna Drucker, 1993 edition project statement, Vamp & Tramp Booksellers' website, November 1, 2015. Single signature stapled into illustrated paper wrapper. Digitally printed. Physical description: 12 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 15 cm more |
