SEROUX D'AGINCOURT Jean Baptiste Louis George - Leopoldo CICOGNARA :
Reference : 1187
" Milano, per Ranieri Fanfani, 1824 - 1825 , 6 text volumes in-folio and 325 engraved plates bound in 5 volumes (3 text-volumes and 2 plate volumes). (Vol. I Quadro Storico, Architettura) xlviii + 187 pp + (1)(bl) + (2)nn pp + 244 pp +(1)nn pp +(3)(bl) , (Vol II Contenente le Tavola di Architettura) 163 pp + (1)(bl) + XXI (Tavola). (Vol. III Scultura - Testo ) 195 pp + (1)(bl) + (1)(tavola) + (3)(bl) + XIV (Tavola) , (Vol.IV Contenente le Tavola di Scultura) 87 pp + (3)(bl) . (Vol. V Pittura ) 357 pp + (1)(bl) + (1)(tavola) + (1)(bl) , (Vol.VI Contenente le Tavola di Pittura ) 268 pp + XXIV pp. (Plate volume I) 204 full page engraved plates (numbered I-CCIV). (Plate volume II) 121 plates (numbered I-LXXIII , architettura ; I-XLVIII , scultura). Uniformly bound, together with Cigonara's ''Storia della scultura...editione secunda'' in 6 modern half-leather volumes, with smooth spine with gilt ornaments and title-label, marbled boards and end-papers. A nice handsomely bound set ,notwithstanding some marginal worming and waterstains in volume 4 and some small ex-library stamps on some pages. The plates and the 5 other text volumes are nearly stainless. Complete first edition, in-folio, of the Italian translation of this art history of the modern western world describing the architecture, painting and sculpture of Western Europe from the 4th until the 16th century. It was published nearly simultaneously with the French edition. It was the author's plan to imitate Winckelmann's study on ancient, classical art with this study on Christian Art but he lacked Winkelmann's critical acumen and he died before finishing it. In 1822 Cicognara published his famous bibliography on art books (Catalogo dei libri d'arte). Seroux-d'Agincourt's work receives here the honour to be mentioned as the first art book (item nr.1) but with the critical note that his illustrations are too small. Cicognara himself tried to remedy this by publishing a continuation to the work of Winckelmann and Seroux d'Agincourt. Here the second edition of the plate album, in-folio, with 185 plates (published in Prato, Giachetti, 1823) is added, uniformly bound with the Seroux volumes."