Colonna, Fabio Lot n° 42

Minus cognitarum rariorumque nostro coelo orientium stirpium ekphrasis ... item de aquatilibus aliisque nonnullis animalibus -- -- De Purpura ab Animali tetaceo fusa Rome, Jacob Mascardi, 1616 Beautiful and rare specimen in 18th century morocco. A tour de force of botanical illustration: the copper engravings are printed in beautiful woodcut frames. First collective edition, first edition of the 4-part de Purpura in three parts in three books bound in one volume in-4 (222 x 160mm) .1 A-Z4 2A-S4 T6 3A-K4 , A2r-T6V paginated 3-340, 3A1r-3I4v paginated i-lxxiii; ?6 A-L4 M6 , A1r-M6r paginated 1-99; [X]4 A-D4 E6, A1r-E5v paginated 1-42 Contents: ?1v: engraved portrait of Fabio Colonna, ?2r first title engraved with putti and surmounted by the coat of arms of the Colonna family, ?3r dedication to Martio Columnae, ?3v: To the reader, ?1r false title, A1r the printer to the reader, A2r text, 3K1v index; ?1r second title engraved with putti and surmounted by the Colonna coat of arms, ?2r dedication to Cardinal Edward Farnese, ?3r To the reader, ?4r the typographer to the reader, A1r text; [X]1r: third engraved title, [X]2r dedication to Cardinal Jacopo Sannesi, [X]3r To the reader, A1r text Illustration: engraved portrait of Fabio Colonna, 3 engraved titles, 152 original copper engravings drawn and engraved by the author, each printed in a woodcut frame, some of them glued. Of these 152 engravings, 131 are dedicated to botany and represent 247 plants 18th century binding. Green morocco, triple gilt fillet in frame, spine ribbed, gilt edges Slightly faded spine Italian naturalist Fabio Colonna (1567-1650) came to the study of flowers in a roundabout way. Epileptic since childhood, he immersed himself in reading Greek and Latin writers in order to find a remedy for this condition. Thus, the disease had made him a botanist and, out of passion, a painter and engraver. Member of the famous Lyncei Academy of Naples, he was at the origi