Alberti, Leon Battista. De Pictura praestantissima, et nunquam satis laudata arte libri tres absolutissimi, Leonis Baptistae de Albertis viri in omni scientiarum genere, & praecipue mathematicarum disciplinarum doctissimi. Iam primum in lucem editi. Basel: [Bartholomaeus Westheimer], August 1540. Bound with
Anton Francesco Doni. Disegno del Doni, partito in piu ragionamenti, ne quali si tratta della scoltura et pittura; de colori, de getti, de modegli, con molte cose appartenenti a quest'arti, et si termina la nobiltà dell'una et dell'altra professione. Con historie, essempi, et sentenze, et nel fine alcune lettere che trattano della medesima materia. Venice: Gabriele Giolito de Ferrari, 1549
First edition of Alberti’s treatise on perspective and painting, edited by Thomas Venatorius (Gechauf; 1490–1551), from a manuscript he had found in Willibald Pirckheimer’s library. About twenty manuscripts of De pictura still exist. Venatorius’s exemplar, now lost, contained unique additions and corrections, and probably had been prepared by Alberti himself, ca. 1466–1468, for Johannes Regiomontanus (1436–1476), who took it to Nuremberg, where it passed first into the possession of his pupil, Bernhard Walther (1430–1504), then to Pirckheimer (1470–1530). Venatorius was the legal administrator of Pirckheimer’s estate, charged with making an inventory of the library (see Sinisgalli, Leon Battista Alberti: On Painting: A New Translation and Critical Edition [Cambridge 2011], p. 6).
There are two Basel editions dated August 1540, both containing Westheimer’s device (h8v), differentiated by their title-pages, and by variant readings in the first two quires (at least). This copy has a title-page with readings "satis laudata arte libri tres," "in omni scientiarum genere," "mathematicarum disciplinarum." The other issue has readings "satis laudatae, libri tres," "in omni genere scientiarum," "Mathematices doctissimi" (VD16 ZV 296, ZV 27635). Priority between the two 1540 editions has not been established. The editor’s dedication to the mathematician Jakob Milichius (1501–1559), lacking from some copies, is present here.
Bound second in the volume is the first edition of a lengthy dialogue between Nature and Art, by the Florentine polygraph Doni (1513–1574), dedicated to the sculptor Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, one of the founders of the Accademia del Disegno, which makes a wonderful companion to Alberti's work.
During the early years of his collecting, Jacques-Auguste de Thou (1553–1617) commissioned some extravagant bindings; however, the great majority of his acquisitions were simply bound, with his family arms on the covers (D’argent au chevron de sable accompagné de trois taons du même) and his monogram on the spine: IADT (OHR 216, 1–3). After his marriage in 1587 to Marie de Barbançon-Cany (1587–1601), De Thou ordered a new arms block, impaling her family arms (D’argent à trois lionceaux de gueules armés, lampassés et couronnés d’or), and a new cipher joining their initials: IAM (OHR 216, 4–6). These stamps are seen on the present binding. Following Marie’s death, in 1601, De Thou ordered a third set of blocks uniting the arms of his second wife Gasparde de La Chastre (1577–1616) and initials: IAGG (OHR 216, 7–9). It seems that De Thou retained possession of all these tools, and lent them to several binders.
De Thou bequeathed his library of some 9,000 volumes jointly to his still minor children, with his friend the bibliophile Pierre Dupuy serving as guardian. Jacques-Auguste II de Thou (1609–1677) became sole owner in 1642 after the deaths of his two elder brothers and purchase of the share in the library held by his sister. In 1669, his creditors took possession and ordered a catalogue, published in 1679 under the title Catalogus bibliothecae Thuanae. The printed books were acquired en bloc in 1680 by the Marquis Jean-Jacques Charron de Ménars (1643–1714), who in turn sold them around 1706 to Cardinal Armand-Gaston-Maximilien de Rohan-Soubise (1674–1749). The library was finally dispersed after the death of Charles de Rohan, Prince de Soubise (1715–1787), principally through an auction conducted 12 January–20 May 1789 by the bookseller Charles-Guillaume Leclerc. This volume has the ink inscriptions of the Soubise library on upper cover and pastedown; however, it cannot be traced in the 1789 sale catalogue (8302 lots), and may have left the library prior to the auction (see Antoine Coron, “Note sur les côtes dites de la bibliothèque de Thou,” in Bulletin du bibliophile [1982], pp. 339–357).
2 works in one volume, 8vo (158 x 98 mm). (I) Roman and italic types, 25 lines. collation: a–h8 *2 (*2 containing preface bound between a1–2): 66 leaves. Woodcut printer's device on final verso. (II) Italic and roman types, 30 lines. collation: A–H8: 64 leaves. Woodcut printer's device on title-page and final verso, historiated woodcut initials.
binding: Very near contemporary Parisian brown calf (163 x 106 mm) for Jacques-Auguste de Thou, ca. 1587–1601, for Jacques-Auguste de Thou, covers gilt with his arms impaled with those of his first wife Marie de Barbançon-Cany, spine with 5 full and 2 half bands, gilt with the titles of the two works in the second and third, combined monogram of Jacques-Auguste and Marie (IAM) in other compartments, plain edges. (Head and foot of spine repaired, upper joint cracked.)
provenance: Jacques-Auguste de Thou (supralibros) — Jacques-Auguste II de Thou — Catalogus bibliothecae Thuanae, Paris, 7 April 1680, II, pp. 117-118 (Alberti and Doni entered separately) — Jean-Jacques Charron, marquis de Ménars (1643–1718) — Armand Gaston Maximilien, Cardinal, prince de Rohan (1674–1749) — Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise (1715–1787; shelfmark 3. C.P. T.3. i.156 in ink on front pastedown and 3. 3. i.156 on upper cover) — Richard Heber (1773–1833; ink inscription, possibly in Heber’s hand, "Payne"; Sotheby's London, 23 March–14 April 1835, lot 20, with auctioneer’s oval label inscribed "20" on endleaf), purchased by — Thomas Thorpe, London (7s 6d) — William Henry Miller (1789–1848) — Sydney Richardson Christie-Miller (1874–1931; Sotheby's London, 29–30 March 1971, lot 6), purchased by — Alan G. Thomas, London (£70) — Jean Fürstenberg (1890–1982) — Fondation Fürstenberg-Beaumesnil, Beaumesnil [Mesnil-en-Ouche] (Wemaëre-de Beaupuis-Denesle Enchères SARL & Binoche et Giquello, Paris, 9 December 2013, lot 100). acquisition: Purchased at the Fondation Fürstenberg-Beaumesnil auction through Robin Halwas.
references: Alberti: VD16 ZV 27635 (with preface bound at end, listing just one copy with preface, in Regensburg); Doni: Edit16 17679; Bongi, Annali di Gabriel Giolito de’ Ferrari I, p. 258; Marsili-Libelli, Anton Francesco Doni scrittore e stampatore, no. 19.
Alberti, Leon Battista. De Pictura praestantissima, et nunquam satis laudata arte libri tres absolutissimi, Leonis Baptistae de Albertis viri in omni scientiarum genere, & praecipue mathematicarum disciplinarum doctissimi. Iam primum in lucem editi. Basel: [Bartholomaeus Westheimer], August 1540. Bound with
Anton Francesco Doni. Disegno del Doni, partito in piu ragionamenti, ne quali si tratta della scoltura et pittura; de colori, de getti, de modegli, con molte cose appartenenti a quest'arti, et si termina la nobiltà dell'una et dell'altra professione. Con historie, essempi, et sentenze, et nel fine alcune lettere che trattano della medesima materia. Venice: Gabriele Giolito de Ferrari, 1549
First edition of Alberti’s treatise on perspective and painting, edited by Thomas Venatorius (Gechauf; 1490–1551), from a manuscript he had found in Willibald Pirckheimer’s library. About twenty manuscripts of De pictura still exist. Venatorius’s exemplar, now lost, contained unique additions and corrections, and probably had been prepared by Alberti himself, ca. 1466–1468, for Johannes Regiomontanus (1436–1476), who took it to Nuremberg, where it passed first into the possession of his pupil, Bernhard Walther (1430–1504), then to Pirckheimer (1470–1530). Venatorius was the legal administrator of Pirckheimer’s estate, charged with making an inventory of the library (see Sinisgalli, Leon Battista Alberti: On Painting: A New Translation and Critical Edition [Cambridge 2011], p. 6).
There are two Basel editions dated August 1540, both containing Westheimer’s device (h8v), differentiated by their title-pages, and by variant readings in the first two quires (at least). This copy has a title-page with readings "satis laudata arte libri tres," "in omni scientiarum genere," "mathematicarum disciplinarum." The other issue has readings "satis laudatae, libri tres," "in omni genere scientiarum," "Mathematices doctissimi" (VD16 ZV 296, ZV 27635). Priority between the two 1540 editions has not been established. The editor’s dedication to the mathematician Jakob Milichius (1501–1559), lacking from some copies, is present here.
Bound second in the volume is the first edition of a lengthy dialogue between Nature and Art, by the Florentine polygraph Doni (1513–1574), dedicated to the sculptor Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, one of the founders of the Accademia del Disegno, which makes a wonderful companion to Alberti's work.
During the early years of his collecting, Jacques-Auguste de Thou (1553–1617) commissioned some extravagant bindings; however, the great majority of his acquisitions were simply bound, with his family arms on the covers (D’argent au chevron de sable accompagné de trois taons du même) and his monogram on the spine: IADT (OHR 216, 1–3). After his marriage in 1587 to Marie de Barbançon-Cany (1587–1601), De Thou ordered a new arms block, impaling her family arms (D’argent à trois lionceaux de gueules armés, lampassés et couronnés d’or), and a new cipher joining their initials: IAM (OHR 216, 4–6). These stamps are seen on the present binding. Following Marie’s death, in 1601, De Thou ordered a third set of blocks uniting the arms of his second wife Gasparde de La Chastre (1577–1616) and initials: IAGG (OHR 216, 7–9). It seems that De Thou retained possession of all these tools, and lent them to several binders.
De Thou bequeathed his library of some 9,000 volumes jointly to his still minor children, with his friend the bibliophile Pierre Dupuy serving as guardian. Jacques-Auguste II de Thou (1609–1677) became sole owner in 1642 after the deaths of his two elder brothers and purchase of the share in the library held by his sister. In 1669, his creditors took possession and ordered a catalogue, published in 1679 under the title Catalogus bibliothecae Thuanae. The printed books were acquired en bloc in 1680 by the Marquis Jean-Jacques Charron de Ménars (1643–1714), who in turn sold them around 1706 to Cardinal Armand-Gaston-Maximilien de Rohan-Soubise (1674–1749). The library was finally dispersed after the death of Charles de Rohan, Prince de Soubise (1715–1787), principally through an auction conducted 12 January–20 May 1789 by the bookseller Charles-Guillaume Leclerc. This volume has the ink inscriptions of the Soubise library on upper cover and pastedown; however, it cannot be traced in the 1789 sale catalogue (8302 lots), and may have left the library prior to the auction (see Antoine Coron, “Note sur les côtes dites de la bibliothèque de Thou,” in Bulletin du bibliophile [1982], pp. 339–357).
2 works in one volume, 8vo (158 x 98 mm). (I) Roman and italic types, 25 lines. collation: a–h8 *2 (*2 containing preface bound between a1–2): 66 leaves. Woodcut printer's device on final verso. (II) Italic and roman types, 30 lines. collation: A–H8: 64 leaves. Woodcut printer's device on title-page and final verso, historiated woodcut initials.
binding: Very near contemporary Parisian brown calf (163 x 106 mm) for Jacques-Auguste de Thou, ca. 1587–1601, for Jacques-Auguste de Thou, covers gilt with his arms impaled with those of his first wife Marie de Barbançon-Cany, spine with 5 full and 2 half bands, gilt with the titles of the two works in the second and third, combined monogram of Jacques-Auguste and Marie (IAM) in other compartments, plain edges. (Head and foot of spine repaired, upper joint cracked.)
provenance: Jacques-Auguste de Thou (supralibros) — Jacques-Auguste II de Thou — Catalogus bibliothecae Thuanae, Paris, 7 April 1680, II, pp. 117-118 (Alberti and Doni entered separately) — Jean-Jacques Charron, marquis de Ménars (1643–1718) — Armand Gaston Maximilien, Cardinal, prince de Rohan (1674–1749) — Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise (1715–1787; shelfmark 3. C.P. T.3. i.156 in ink on front pastedown and 3. 3. i.156 on upper cover) — Richard Heber (1773–1833; ink inscription, possibly in Heber’s hand, "Payne"; Sotheby's London, 23 March–14 April 1835, lot 20, with auctioneer’s oval label inscribed "20" on endleaf), purchased by — Thomas Thorpe, London (7s 6d) — William Henry Miller (1789–1848) — Sydney Richardson Christie-Miller (1874–1931; Sotheby's London, 29–30 March 1971, lot 6), purchased by — Alan G. Thomas, London (£70) — Jean Fürstenberg (1890–1982) — Fondation Fürstenberg-Beaumesnil, Beaumesnil [Mesnil-en-Ouche] (Wemaëre-de Beaupuis-Denesle Enchères SARL & Binoche et Giquello, Paris, 9 December 2013, lot 100). acquisition: Purchased at the Fondation Fürstenberg-Beaumesnil auction through Robin Halwas.
references: Alberti: VD16 ZV 27635 (with preface bound at end, listing just one copy with preface, in Regensburg); Doni: Edit16 17679; Bongi, Annali di Gabriel Giolito de’ Ferrari I, p. 258; Marsili-Libelli, Anton Francesco Doni scrittore e stampatore, no. 19.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
