FOULLON, USAIGE ET DESCRIPTION DE L'HOLOMETRE, 1555; FINE, LA COMPOSITION ET USAGE DU QUARRE GEOMETRIQUE, 1556

Fine, Oronce. La composition et usage du quarre geometrique, par lequel on peut mesurer fidelement toutes longeurs, hauteurs, & profunditez. Paris: Gilles Gourbin, 1556 2 works in one volume, 4to (215 x 155mm.), woodcut illustrations in both works, some full-page, a few woodcut diagrams, first work with final blank leaf, eighteenth-century calf, spine gilt, title of first work somewhat soiled, a few small stains in second work, binding slightly worn (including partial loss of label)

bought from Martayan Lan, New York, 1989

Foullon: Tomash & Williams F93; USTC 29705; Fine: Tomash & Williams F62; Hilliard & Poulle 36; USTC 89613, 29708

the condition of this lot is as described in the catalogue description
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A prolific inventor, Abel Foullon had been appointed in 1551 valet du chambre du roi in recognition of his discovery of a method for minting testons with minimal silver content. The same year he perfected his holomètre, a surveying and drawing instrument made for him by Master Pierre “Le Compassier”, and in the preface dedicated to Henri II, Foullon announces his invention of a new method of casting bronze, devices for raising water, and a self-propelled vehicle. He was awarded a royal patent on the holomètre, on condition that he publish a description of the instrument after the patent rights expired; “the resulting description of 1555 is generally thought to have been the first patent specification” (Justine Pila & Paul Torremans, European Intellectual Property Law, Oxford 2016, p.14). The second work, a translation by Oronce Fine himself of one chapter of his Protomathesis (1532), is in its first edition. The translation had been made by Fine in 1538 for presentation to François II, but was not printed during his lifetime (the autograph manuscript, written on vellum with coloured drawings, is Paris, BnF Français 1334; see H&P 85).