Serlio, Sebastiano

Il terzo libro... nel qual si figurano, e descrivono le antiquita di Roma, e le altre che sono in Italia, e fuori d'Italia. (Venice: Francesco Marcolini, March 1540)

2 works in one volume, folio (342 x 233mm.), titles within woodcut border, numerous woodcut illustrations (many full-page), late eighteenth-century marbled calf-backed boards, spine gilt in compartments, red edges, some light foxing or damp-staining, binding slightly worn

T. Patch, stamp on title-page, i.e. Thomas Patch (c. 1725-1782), artist and connoisseur, who lived in Italy from the 1740s until his death; he features in Zoffany's Tribuna in front of the Venus of Urbino; Francis Sandys, inscription on title-page, i.e. the Irish architect, who went to Rome in 1791 under the patronage of Lord Hervey and later supervised the building of Ickworth, Suffolk

Censimento 16 CNCE 28611 & 49984; Fowler 314 & 308; Mortimer, Harvard Italian 472 and cf. 471 (1537 edition of Regole generali)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"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."

FIRST EDITION of Serlio's book three, on the remains of Roman buildings, together with the second edition of book four, on the orders of architecture; these two Marcolini editions were issued together. Serlio's dedications of both volumes to François I worked; he was appointed royal architect at Fontainebleau in 1541.

"The first genuine advance in architectural illustration seems to have been made by Serlio, and his Libro Terzo set the type of architectural illustration in Italy for the rest of the century" (Fowler, p. 250).