Giuseppe Vasi

Dedicated to the cardinal Lazzaro Opizio Pallavicini, Secretary of State under Pope Clement XIV, the Tesoro is a two-volume guidebook organized into eight giornate (days) and following the same structure of Vasi’s Itinerario. Its focus is primarily on the historia sacra (sacred history) of the Urbe as declared by the elaborate frontispiece showing the Catholic Church sitting between the two basilicas of Saint Peter and Saint John. Easily transportable, it was conceived to meet the needs of the pilgrims who would arrive in Rome shortly after its publication for the Jubilee year of 1775.

Complete digitized book: IIIF Digital View (National Gallery of Art Library, Special Collections)