[Bound volume of plates, largely from La scienza delle persone di corte, di spada, e di toga]

[Venice, 1734, 1742, or 1782]

66 folding plates, XVIII plates | 156 x 93 mm

A small volume of plates repackaged from the four-volume La scienza delle persone di corte, di spada, e di toga, an Italian translation of de Chevigny's La science des personnes de la cour, de l'epée et de la robe. While our plates appear to be the same as those used in 1720, they must have come from a later edition. Our plate 16, a map of Spain and Portugal, is the same as that facing p. 343 in the 1720 edition, except ours calls for it to face p. 354 and clearly shows signs of having been retouched. Subsequent editions appeared in 1734, 1742, and 1782. Our plates are numbered 1-66 in a contemporary hand, with no gaps. For what it's worth, OCLC 797606468 reports 66 plates for the 1782 edition, while OCLC 801197649 reports 67 plates for the 1742 edition. This may tempt one to attribute our plates to the 1782 edition, but the evidence is awfully slight, and we expect a fourth edition would be pushing the longevity of the original 1720 plates. We find only the 1720 edition digitized for comparison. The source of the coin plates remains to us a mystery. ¶ Regardless of edition, the repackaging of these plates demonstrates an early owner's very intentional customization. The engraved page numbers clearly indicate the publisher meant for these to be distributed across the four volumes, positioned opposite their relevant explanatory text. But our owner clearly wanted something else—and something additional, considering the 18 plates of Roman coins that did not come from the Scienza volumes. Our owner plundered a cumbersome multi-volume set to create a compact, comprehensive visual pocket reference, complete with a handwritten table of contents at front. The plates illustrate the solar system, basic geometric shapes, the constellations, heraldry, maps of the contemporary known world and of the ancient world; a comprehensive historical chronology in tabular form, spread across many plates; charts of imperial and royal reigns; genealogical trees of prominent European families; and military strategy, including labeled illustrations of the many implements of war. We wonder if our owner purchased the letterpress text at all. The plates alone are perfectly useful conveyors of information. The illustrations are generally well labeled, and certainly charts and tabular arrangements can stand on their own. While the author and publisher no doubt intended the plates to supplement the text, this volume suggests the opposite could be true for the properly motivated owner.

CONDITION: Contemporary leather tooled in gold; marbled paste-downs. The blank verso of plate 61 bears some faint offset letterpress text, which should help match the edition if comparison to later editions becomes an option. ¶ Plates sometimes roughly folded and frequently a bit tatty at the edges; occasional closed tears in the plates, especially at the inner margin where they unfold, affecting some content. Loss to the top and bottom compartments of the spine; leather generally a bit worn, with a wormhole in the lower inner corner of the front board.

REFERENCES: Ursula Weekes, Early Engravers and Their Public (2004), p. 85 (“Copper plates could yield perhaps 200 fine impressions, a further 600 good ones and perhaps several hundred poor impressions")

Item #789