Ferraro, Giovanni Battista

Hesperides sive de malorum aureorum cultura et usu libri quatuor. Rome: Hermann Scheus, 1646



Folio (13 1/2 x 9 in.; 343 x 228 mm). Letterpress title, additional engraved title by J. F. Greuter after Pietro da Cortona, 102 engraved plates on 101 sheets by Andrea Sacchi, Nicolas Poussin, Pietro Paolo Ubaldini, F. Perier, Francesco Albani, Philippe Gagliard, F. Romanelli, Guido Reni, Dominic Zampieri (Domenichinio) and H. Rinaldi with the citrus plates by Cornelis Bloemaert; some dampstaining to preliminaries, moderate text browning, about a dozen plates browned. Contemporary vellum, manuscript title on spine; endpapers renewed.

(inscript on title-page: Pro Convent. August. ... Min Recollect ad S. Sepulchum)

Cleveland Collections 206; Hunt 243; Nissen BBI 621; Oak Spring Pomona 67; Pritzel 2878

First edition of the first book devoted to citrus fruit and one of the most attactive of all baroque botanical works. Cornelis Bloemaert, "one of the great Dutch seventeenth-century botanical artists" was responsible for the plates of varieties of oranges, lemons, and limes (Hunt). The work also contains some of the earliest illustrations of orangeries and hothouses. In addition to describing the varieties of citrus fruit, Ferrari also discusses the usses of the trees, flowers, and fruit, oils distilled from the leaves, orange flower water, and ardent spirits for medicinal use (Oak Spring Pomona).