VITRUVIUS (Marcus Vitruvius Pollio). M. Vitruvii Pollionis * - Lot 292

Lot n° 292
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VITRUVIUS (Marcus Vitruvius Pollio). M. Vitruvii Pollionis * - Lot 292
VITRUVIUS (Marcus Vitruvius Pollio). M. Vitruvii Pollionis *De Architectura libri decem ad Caesarem Augustum*, far superior to all other editions, collated with the ancient ones. A precious illustrated edition of "De Architectura," carefully printed in Lyon by Jean de Tournes and enriched with annotations by Guillaume Philandrier. Lyon, Jean de Tournes, 1552. Small 4to (220 x 158 mm). 19th-century flamed sheepskin binding, smooth spine adorned with a red mosaic morocco patch and rich decoration featuring small gilt metalwork. (Binding signed Davet, bookbinder in Auch). 8 unnumbered folios + 447 pp. + 28 unnumbered folios (including Epitome, Index, Errata, privilege, and printer’s mark). Light rubbing, small scuffs, small tear at the top of both spines. Corners slightly worn. Interior fresh, with slight water stains more pronounced on the first and last leaves. Second Lyon edition of this seminal work on the history of Western architecture, published by Jean de Tournes based on the edition published in Strasbourg in 1550 by Georg Messerschmidt. The latter had drawn upon the Florentine edition of 1513 (Giunta) and on the Annotationes by Guillaume Philandrier, published in Rome in 1544 and then in Paris in 1545. Tournes incorporates these annotations, eliminating the earlier disparate illustrations, and presents them in a fluid manner by placing them before Vitruvius’s text, in an exemplary typographic layout (text in roman type, comments in italics). Illustrated with 83 woodcut figures in the text, this edition is distinguished by its depictions of machines, architectural details, plans, etc., printed here in their first edition. Among the most remarkable are the large figures on pages 115–116, the four views of the Circus, as well as the marbles of the Lateran and Modena. Several woodcuts are attributed to Bernard Salomon, known as “Le Petit Bernard,” a regular collaborator of the Tournes publishing house. A sought-after edition both for the quality of its typographic composition and for its intellectual contribution, as Philandrier expanded the critical apparatus by a third compared to previous editions. A landmark work in the humanist reception of ancient architecture. References: Frédérique Lemerle (CNRS, Tours, CESR), 2022.
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