Phytognomonica Io Baptistae Portae, Neapolitani, Octo libris contenta;


  • :
  • ,
  • .
    Early Edition.

    19cm x 12cm. xiii, 605 pages, woodcut decorations and initials, 32 woodcut illustrations. Yellow half-leather, printed paper boards, 4 raised bands, gilt lettering and rules, blind rules, laid paper endpapers. Text is in Latin.

    in quibus nova, facillimaque affertur methodus, qua plantarum, animalium, metallorum; rerum denique omnium ex prima extimae faciei inspectione quiuis abditas vires assequatur. Giambattista della Porta was an exponent of the doctrine of signatures, which stated that the resemblance of plants to body parts was a sign from God that the plant could be used to heal illness in that part of the body. The fine woodcuts in this volume show the plants and the body parts to which they supposedly referred.

    Rebound in later, though not recent, half leather, the rear endpaper with an inscription dated 1755. Minor foxing to first fifteen leaves and edges, else a very clean copy. Very Good Condition.

    SOLD