Cellini, Due trattati, Florence, 1568, contemporary limp vellum, Albani-Honeyman copy

Cellini, Benvenuto. Due trattati uno intorno alle otto principali arti dell'oreficeria. L'altro in materia dell'arte della scultura; dove si veggono infiniti segreti nel lavorar le figure di marmo, & nel gettarle di bronzo. Composti da m. Benvenuto Cellini scultore fiorentino. Florence: Valente Panizza & Marco Peri, 1568

First edition of the two short treatises by the Florentine goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) on metalwork and sculpture. He states that he wrote these tracts to compensate for a lack of artistic commissions, probably caused by his irascible nature, though his modern fame has resulted more from his writings and poetry than his works of art. This was the only work he wrote which was published in his lifetime, and the manuscript was presented to Francesco de' Medici, whose favour Cellini was seeking, in 1568; the printed version had a dedication to Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici (dated 26 February 1568, i.e. 1569 in modern dating). The text, however, was much sanitised for publication and it has been suggested that Ferdinando's secretary, Gherardo Spini, edited the text for his own purposes; his name appears prominently in the printed letter of dedication.

For Cellini's autobiography, see lot 483.

4to (192 x 134 mm). Italic type, 40 lines plus headline. collation: A⁶ B-S⁴: 74 leaves (A6 blank). Woodcut armorial of Ferdinando de' Medici on title-page, woodcut initials and tailpieces, woodcut printer's device at end. (Lightly foxed.)

binding: Old limp vellum (197 x 143 mm), later manuscript lettering on spine, green edges. Later red morocco-backed cover and slipcase.

provenance: old shelfmark, QQ.IIII.20 — Albani family, of Urbino (probably Alessandro Albani, 1692-1779), eighteenth-century Bibliotheca Albana armorial stamp at foot of title-page with letters BA — Pierre Deschamps (1821-1906), small engraved label of a donkey (his library sold in Paris in 1864) — Giuseppe Martini of Lucca (1870-1944), bookplate and note "Duplicate" (lot 62 in his sale, Hoepli, Luzern, 20-26 August 1934, was another copy of this edition) — Robert B. Honeyman (1897-1987), sale, Sotheby's, 30 April 1979, lot 659, £1,300, to Maggs — Robin Halwas, London, catalogue 4 (1999), item 36. acquisition: Purchased from Robin Halwas, 1999. references: Edit16 10737