JAMNITZER, Wenzel Lot n° 185

Sintagma, in quo varie eximiàque corporum diagrammata ex praescripto Opticae exhibentur. Amsterdam, Jan Jansson, 1618. In-4 (270 x 188 mm) d'un titre gravé, 2 ff.n.ch. (introduction), 46 (sur 49) planches gravées; veau tacheté, dos à nerfs, tranches mouchetées (reliure de l' époque). Vagnetti EIIb24. Seconde édition rarissime. "Jamnitzer created an extraordinary collection of both regular and semi-regular bodies in his Perspective of Regular Solids (1568) which, as he explained in his title, was based on Plato's Timaeus and Euclid's Elements. Accordingly, he associated the tetrahedron with fire, octahedron with air, hexahedron with earth, icosahedron with water and dodecahedron with heaven respectively. Using a "particular new adroit method never before in use" he provided six regular, six truncated, six stellated and six double stellated variants for each of the regular solids to create a total of 120 versions which, as he pointed out in his long title, was but an " introduction how, out of these five bodies, many other bodies of various kinds and shapes may be made and found without end"(bibliodyssey.blogspot en ligne). Les fascinantes planches sont gravées par Jost Amman d'après Wenzel Jamnitzer. De cette édition le catalogue électronique de Karlsruhe ne trace que 3 exemplaires institutionnels, tous en Allemagne: Erfurt, Göttingen, et Halle (sans indication de planches). Titre anciennement monté. Provenance: Bibliothèque Nordkirchen (ex-libris). The excessively rare second edition of this important work on perspective which had an immense influence on M.C. Escher and his engravings. This second edition is missing in all institutional specialized collections (Karlsruhe Catalogue locates 3 copies in Germany: Erfurt, Göttingen, and Halle). [On joint: ] JAMNITZER, Wenzel. [Perspectivae sintagma, in quo variae eximiáque corporum diagrammata ex præscripto opticæ exhibentur: in primus necessarium & utile opus omni