Milestones of Science Books

MASCAGNI, Paolo.

Anatomia per uso degli studiosi di scultura e pittura. Opera postuma.

Florence: Giovanni Marenigh for heirs of the author, 1816.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #003082

Elephant folio (666 x 513 mm). [8], 4-35 [1], [22] pp., 15 engraved plates (numbered I-XV). Text Includes title, dedication to Fernando III, preface, introduction, index, and one explanatory text leaf each for tables VI to XV (no called for for tables I-V). The Tables are outlined and engraved by Antonio Serantoni and Agostino Costa under the direction of Carlo Lasinio. Contemporary half sheepskin, marbled paper covers, gilt-lettered leather label on front cover (rubbed, extremities heavily worn, spine gone, one corner broken). Text and plates unevenly foxed (title and dedication stronger), a few short clean tears, marginal perforations in places. Still very good copy internally, collated complete. ----

Choulant-Frank, pp.315-20; Roberts & Tomlinson, pp. 387-89; Waller 6292; Wellcome IV, p.73. RARE FIRST EDITION (exceptionally rare in uncoloured state as here). Our copy collates with the digitized copy at Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire de Santé in Paris. Mascagni died before he could see three of his manuscripts through to publication. Mascagni's anatomy for painters and sculptors was posthumously published by his relatives Bernardo and Aurelio Mascagni, and edited by Francesco Antonmarchi, a pupil and anatomical colleague of Mascagni, based on Mascagni's manuscripts. The beautiful plates in this work were drawn and engraved by Antonio Serantoni (1780-1837), an artist Mascagni had trained and worked with for fourteen years on his various projected publications, including the monumental Anatomia Universa. "The first two plates represent front and back views of the skeleton with the ligaments. The names of the bones are engraved directly on the plate . . . Plates III-IV represent front, back, and side views of a muscle-man. Plates VI-XV represent separate parts of the body, such as life-size muscles, bones and ligaments." (Choulant-Frank p. 316). The muscle men are executed in the Vesalian style, with landscape backgrounds. It is the largest anatomy for artists in terms of format. - Visit our website for additional images and information.

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