#Raffaele Maffei

[uwmspeccoll]

Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Metamorphoseon libri XV is an 1586 Latin edition of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, printed in Venice by Nicolaum Moretum (Nicolaus Moretus). It features woodcut illustrations throughout and was edited by Italian humanist Raffaele Maffei (1451-1522), also known as Raphael Volaterranus, with commentary and arguments by ancient Roman author and scholar Lactantius Placidus (c.350-c.400 CE).

The renowned Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE-17/18 CE) drew inspiration from Alexandrian poetry by choosing myth as the central theme in his Metamorphoses. While the Alexandrian tradition used myth for moral reflection or insight, Ovid took a different approach and treated it as a form of "play and artful manipulation." The poem spins together over 250 myths and is deemed his crowning achievement.

Initially written in approximately 8 CE, it is a Latin narrative poem in fifteen books that describes the history of the world from its creation to Julius Caesar's deification within a loose mythical-historical framework. Its influence can be seen in various art forms, from paintings to literature, where its themes and stories have been reinterpreted and adapted over the centuries. 

Unlike many other classical authors, Ovid's works, particularly Metamorphoses, remained popular throughout antiquity and the Middle Ages, transmitted through manuscripts. The first printings of Metamorphoses appear in Italy in the 1470s and William Caxton published the first English translation in 1480. Many editions appeared in the 16th century and Moretus first published Metamorphoses in 1543 in an unillustrated edition. Our edition is his second printing of the text, this time with illustrations, over 40 years later.

-Melissa, Special Collections Graduate Intern

View other Classics posts.