1540 BARBARO ON BLUE PAPER 1540 BARBARO ON BLUE PAPER | Page 20

Blue paper Aldine editions and royal paper copies
Numerous Aldine octavos are survived in ROYAL PAPER COPIES, just 5 of them
are printed on BLUE PAPER. Royal paper copies of octavos are extremely rare and
can be usually distinguished by their leaf height: the height of a sheet on narrow
median is approx 350 mm, thus the maximum height of a leaf of an uncut octavo is
approx 175 mm. Copies of Aldine octavos with leaf heights greater than that have
perforce been printed on ROYAL PAPER.
The blue paper phenomenon began probably in the late summer or early autumn of
1514, when Aldus acquired a supply of blue paper suitable for printing and issue the
first book printed on this medium. It seems to have been inspired by Turkish fashion,
which is not surprising given Venetian trade routes and the resultant Eastern
influences on Venetian life. Blue paper attracted the interest of artists first, and thus
came into Durer’s repertory, during his Venetian period. Beginning with Aldus it was
used for the exceptionality copy of a work, one that could be offered for presentation
or at a premium to a collector. In a sense, it provided a less expensive but equally
exclusive alternative to vellum.
In 104 years of activity, the Manuzio dynasty published 18 works which are printed
on blue paper, from a total of 32 known publications. In 1544 Federicus Torresanus
edited his only known blue paper issue, TERENTIUS Andria (known in 2 copies), in
controversy with Manuzio, using the Aldine device without “AL – DUS” on the sides.
Only in 1514 and in 1564 were more copies of a single edition printed on blue paper
(Quintilianus 3, Virglius 2, Cato 2, Canones 8): since 1521 all editions printed on
blue paper were published as a single copy, which confirms they were printed on
demand for the dedicatee, and not for any commercial purpose.