Leonardo da Vinci, Traité de la peinture, Paris, 1716, contemporary mottled calf

Leonardo da Vinci. Traité de la peinture, par Leonard de Vinci; Revû et corrigé: Nouvelle édition. Augmentée de la Vie de l'Autheur. Paris: Pierre-François Giffart, 1716

A reprint of Fréart de Chambray's translation, now in a smaller and more portable format, and with a translation the Life of Leonardo which appeared alongside the 1651 Italian text. The diagrams have been reduced to woodcuts and the engraved illustrations are now printed separately as plates, rather than within the text.

12mo (165 x 93 mm). Roman and italic type, 30 lines plus headline. collation: a⁸ i⁸ o⁴ u⁸ aa⁴ ee⁸ A-Y^8.4 Z⁸ Aa-Ff^4.8: 216 leaves. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Leonardo, woodcut vignette on title-page, woodcut initials and headpieces, woodcut diagrams, 33 engraved plates (5 folding), plate 23 misbound before p.296, 8-page bookseller's catalogue at end. (Occasional light spotting or foxing.)

binding: Contemporary mottled calf (170 x 105 mm), spine gilt in compartments, red edges. (Binding somewhat worn, joints cracked, spine creased and repaired at head.)

acquisition: Purchased in 2012 from Knuf Rare Books at the New York Book Fair. references: Cohen-De Ricci 623