Lot 205: VITRUVIUS POLLIO, Marcus. I dieci libri dell'architettura . Translated and with a commentary by Daniele Barbaro (1514-1570). Venice: Francesco Marcolini, 1556.

VITRUVIUS POLLIO, Marcus. I dieci libri dell'architettura. Translated and with a commentary by Daniele Barbaro (1514-1570). Venice: Francesco Marcolini, 1556.

2° (392 x 272mm). Title within woodcut architectural border, 132 woodcut illustrations and diagrams, of these 8 double-page and many full-page, 6 illustrations with woodcut over-slips or extensions, two plates on theatres with duplicate revolving plates, and Q2 with the volvelle, cancelled illustrations pasted on E8v and F7r, B3 a cancel. (Title browned and laid-down to repair marginal loss and tears, repairs in some blank margins, M5-P2 with minor marginal worming, some dampstaining and browning.) 17th-century blind-stamped black goatskin, spine gilt in compartments and with gilt-lettered red morocco label (old repairs, extremities rubbed, some worming to the spine, spine ends worn). Provenance: Count Ercole Giuseppe de Silva (1756-1840; armorial stamp on front blank) -- W. Gedney Beatty (1869-1941, American architect; gifted to:) -- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Department of Prints (detached bookplate recording the bequest, cancelled).

FIRST EDITION OF BARBARO'S IMPORTANT TRANSLATION, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY PALLADIO. Palladio (1508-1580) is mentioned by Barbaro in the text, stating that he did designs for the more important illustrations and helped to interpret the most difficult technical passages. The other woodcut illustrations are very likely by Giuseppe Porta Salviati (1520-1575) and Giovanni Antonio Rusconi (1520-1579). Barbaro's edition 'is widely considered to be the most significant Italian edition of the treatise. The illustrations provided by Andrea Palladio, among others, are the most persuasive architectural illustrations associated with the Vitruvian text' (Millard). Berlin Kat. 1814; Brunet V:1330; Cicognara 713; Fowler 407; Harvard/Mortimer Italian 547; Millard Italian 160.

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