1647 Le Vite de piu Eccellenti Pittori, Scultori et Architetti

Description

An Important Work, Illustrated, Leather Binding, Very Scarce

In the original Italian. Complete in three volumes, with Parts I and II in one volume, and Part III in two volumes. A series of artist biographies, a work that is considered to be the most influential and the first important work on art history. Written by Giorgio Vasari, a noted art historian, Italian painter, historian, and architect. He is known for having been the first to use the term 'Renaissance', in print. Vasari is often considered to be the first art historian. The work is a treatise on the technical methods employed in the art. The biographies, whilst also being informative, also offer a light-hearted collection of amusing gossip and serve as a primary source for the period. Collated, lacking the half-title to Volume 1, otherwise complete. Collated from Jisc from a copy held at the University of Oxford Libraries. An unusually good copy. Volume I illustrated with a frontispiece, and seventy-six in-text engravings. Lacking engraving to the reverse of leaf O3, leaf P3, reverse of leaf P4, and to the reverse of leaf T1, as is usual, being a wider printing error rather than being particular to this one copy. Volume II illustrated with fifty-five in-text engravings. Lacking engraving to the reverse of leaf H1, and leaf Gg1, as is usual, being a wider printing error rather than being particular to this one copy. Volume III illustrated with seventeen in-text engravings. Register for Volume I runs as [5], a-i6, A-Vvv4, Xxx6. Register for Volume II runs as A5, B-Yyy4. Register for Volume III runs as [3], a-c4, d6, A-Eee4. 'Le Vite de piu Eccellenti Pittori, Scultori et Architetti', translated in English as 'Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'. In the first edition, Vasari focused more on Florentines, a bias as he was from Florence. In the second and later editions as here however, Vasari extended the work to focus on Venetians as well. Vasari did not research archives for exact dates for the biographies, so there are some inaccuracies. 'Le Vite de piu Eccellenti Pittori' is well known as an influential Renaissance work, and became the standard text for contemporary and late biographers and art historians.