Vitruvius, De architectura libri decem, Venice, 1497, later vellum with arms of Shoppee

Vitruvius Pollio, Marcus. Hoc in volumine haec opera continentur. Cleonidae harmonicum introductorium interprete Georgio Valla Placentino. L. Vitruvii Pollionis de Architectura libri decem. Sexti Iulii Frontini de Aquaeductibus liber unus. Angeli policiani opusculum: quod Panepistemon inscribitur. Angeli Policiani in priora analytica praelectio. Cui Titulus est Lamia. Venice: Simone Bevilacqua, 3 August 1497

Third edition of Vitruvius, and first edition of Cleonides' treatise on music theory, in the translation of Giorgio Valla; Vitruvius discusses the science of harmonics in book V. The text is based on the second Vitruvius edition of 1495-1496 (see lot 640), and also contains the same accompanying works by Frontinus on acqueducts and Poliziano's two orations on Aristotle, the first of which contained an overview of arts and sciences. 

Folio (308 x 210 mm). Roman type, 43-44 lines plus headlines. collation: [1-4]⁸ [*²] A-I⁶ K-L⁴ aa⁶ bb⁴ a-b⁶: 94 leaves. Woodcut initials and woodcut diagrams, early marginal annotations to 12 pages. (Title-page slightly soiled with a few small holes, some light staining, some later leaves browned).

binding: Nineteenth-century English ivory vellum (316 x 220 mm), single gilt fillet around sides, gilt arms of Shoppee in centre, spine with raised bands in six compartments, black morocco lettering-piece, red edges, in a modern drop-backed box.

provenance: Charles John Shoppee (1824-1897, architect and surveyor), bookplate and arms on binding — by descent to his son, Charles Herbert Shoppee (1852-1917), architect, his sale, Sotheby's, 22 February 1918, lot 858 (including other Vitruvius editions from 1521, 1524, and 1567), £8-10s, to Quaritch, with Quaritch pencil collation to rear free endpaper — W. Gedney Beatty (1869-1941), New York architect, bequeathed by him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with "Metropolitan Duplicate" deaccession stamp, sale, Christie's New York, 3 December 2007, lot 344, $109,000. acquisition: Purchased in 2016 from Libreria Antiquaria Mediolanum, Milan. references: ISTC ic00742000; GW 7123; Fowler 392; Sander 2017; not in BAL RIBA