DANTI, TRATTATO DELL'USO ET DELLA FABBRICA DELL'ASTROLABIO, FLORENCE, 1569, OLD VELLUM

FIRST EDITION, 4to (220 x 150mm.), woodcut device on title with the Medici arms on a globe depicting Asia and Africa, woodcut initials and diagrams, old vellum, new endpapers, modern folding cloth box

J: Delphinus, early inscription on title, deleted; Antonio Santini (1577-1662, the merchant and mathematician, a friend of Galileo who is mentioned in the Difesa, and who later became a monk of the Somaschan order and was buried at Montecitorio), inscription on title-page; Chiesa di San Biagio a Montecitorio, Rome, inscription on title-page; bought from Luigi Gonnelli & figli, Florence, 1993, Catalogue 33, item 336; Erwin Tomash, booklabel

Edit16 15995; Riccardi i, 389; Tomash & Williams D5; USTC 825459

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."

A woodcut on p.124 shows a woman surveyor using an astrolabe (together with dividers, cross-staff, quadrant, and square) to measure a tower. It is “The first picture of a mortal female using a scientific instrument” and “We can conclude that the picture hopes to draw women into the fraternity (sorry!) of instrument users, or even that women were already seen (at least in Italy) as not excluded” (A.V. Simcock, “The Lady and the Astrolabe” in Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society, volume 51, 1996, pp.2-3).