Details
ALESSANDRI, Innocente and Pietro SCATTAGLIA. Descrizione degli Animali. Venice: Carlo Palese, 1771-1775.
4 parts in 1 volume, 2° (480 x 350mm.). 200 hand-coloured ngraved plates, heightened with gum arabic, four hand-coloured engraved section-titles, engraved headpiece and woodcut initial letter for each section. (Very slight soiling to a few plates, mainly marginal, title of Part I spotted.) Later half vellum, manuscript title on spine (extremities rubbed, front joint split).
FIRST EDITION. The Descrizione, probably the finest Venetian natural-history book of the 18th century, was originally published in monthly fascicules. 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. Nissen ZBI 79; Morazzoni Il libro illustrato veneziano del settecento p.208.
4 parts in 1 volume, 2° (480 x 350mm.). 200 hand-coloured ngraved plates, heightened with gum arabic, four hand-coloured engraved section-titles, engraved headpiece and woodcut initial letter for each section. (Very slight soiling to a few plates, mainly marginal, title of Part I spotted.) Later half vellum, manuscript title on spine (extremities rubbed, front joint split).
FIRST EDITION. The Descrizione, probably the finest Venetian natural-history book of the 18th century, was originally published in monthly fascicules. 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. Nissen ZBI 79; Morazzoni Il libro illustrato veneziano del settecento p.208.