ALESSANDRI, Innocente (b. 1740) and Pietro SCATTAGLIA Descrizione degli animali. Venice: Carlo Palese, 1771-1775. 4 volumes in two, 2° (478 x 352mm). Engraved additional titles and 200 engraved plates after Pietro Antonio Novelli III, all finely hand-coloured. (Small rusthole to plate numbered 'CC,' additional title to vol.II and plates LI-LIV misbound between plates XXXVIII and XXXVIIII, some light soiling and spotting to plates and first title in the first volume.) Near-uniform contemporary cats-paw calf gilt, covers with thin border of a single fillet and a narrow decorative roll, spine in eight compartments with raised bands, vol.I with red morocco lettering-piece in the second, brown morocco lettering-piece in the third, vol. II with brown morocco lettering-pieces in both the second and third, the other compartments with repeat decoration of stylised flowers and foliage, comb-marbled endpapers, gilt edges (extremities rubbed). Provenance : early gift inscription from the 'Assessorum ac Delegatorum Ordinum Comitatus Flandriae' in vol.I -- 'Muséum Histre. Natle.' (cancelled stamps in both volumes). FIRST EDITION OF PROBABLY THE FINEST VENETIAN NATURAL-HISTORY WORK OF THE 18TH-CENTURY The charming plates were originally published in monthly fascicles. According to Pietro Gradenigo, a noted Venetian bibliophile who opened his library to his fellow citizens, the work was sold as a set of hand-coloured engravings; the text (probably by Lodovico Leschi) was issued free of charge at the end of each part. Brunet V, 187; Morazzoni Il libro illustrato veneziano del settecento p. 208; Nissen ZBI 79. (2)
ALESSANDRI, Innocente (b. 1740) and Pietro SCATTAGLIA Descrizione degli animali. Venice: Carlo Palese, 1771-1775. 4 volumes in two, 2° (478 x 352mm). Engraved additional titles and 200 engraved plates after Pietro Antonio Novelli III, all finely hand-coloured. (Small rusthole to plate numbered 'CC,' additional title to vol.II and plates LI-LIV misbound between plates XXXVIII and XXXVIIII, some light soiling and spotting to plates and first title in the first volume.) Near-uniform contemporary cats-paw calf gilt, covers with thin border of a single fillet and a narrow decorative roll, spine in eight compartments with raised bands, vol.I with red morocco lettering-piece in the second, brown morocco lettering-piece in the third, vol. II with brown morocco lettering-pieces in both the second and third, the other compartments with repeat decoration of stylised flowers and foliage, comb-marbled endpapers, gilt edges (extremities rubbed). Provenance : early gift inscription from the 'Assessorum ac Delegatorum Ordinum Comitatus Flandriae' in vol.I -- 'Muséum Histre. Natle.' (cancelled stamps in both volumes). FIRST EDITION OF PROBABLY THE FINEST VENETIAN NATURAL-HISTORY WORK OF THE 18TH-CENTURY The charming plates were originally published in monthly fascicles. According to Pietro Gradenigo, a noted Venetian bibliophile who opened his library to his fellow citizens, the work was sold as a set of hand-coloured engravings; the text (probably by Lodovico Leschi) was issued free of charge at the end of each part. Brunet V, 187; Morazzoni Il libro illustrato veneziano del settecento p. 208; Nissen ZBI 79. (2)
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
