Libro intitulado El cortesano. Libro de motes de damas y caballeros

This unusually rare volume, first printed in the mid‑sixteenth century, offers a lively catalogue of mottos, jokes and brief verses exchanged among the ladies and gentlemen of the Spanish court. Compiled by a Valencian gentleman, it captures the etiquette, dress and festivities of the ducal palace of Calabria with a precision that feels almost documentary. The work is prized by bibliophiles not only for its scarcity but also for the vivid snapshot it provides of Renaissance aristocratic life.

Listeners will hear a succession of witty exchanges that illuminate the social games, flirtations and literary contests that animated court gatherings. Names of real nobles and poets appear, grounding the humor in the actual personalities of the time, while the descriptive passages bring to life the colors, music and pageantry of the era’s celebrations. Presented with modern punctuation and corrected printing errors, the text serves as an engaging portal into a world long past, yet still resonant with human curiosity and humor.