Famiglie Celebri Italiane

 

 This multi-volume work is an extensive genealogical survey of the major noble families of Italy. Not only does it contain complex and detailed tracings of family trees, but related biographical information as well. Most breathtakingly, it is extensively illustrated in a variety of formats. Family crests are hand-colored. There are numerous engravings, aquatints, and lithographs that show religious scenes, battles, architecture, and monuments. Many of these sites had already been destroyed by the time of this book's publication (which ranged from as early as 1819, to as late as 1883, nearly 30 years after the author’s death). This fact significantly increases the import of the illustrations, some of which are the only extent documentation of the sites they depict.