Eric Chaim Kline, Bookseller

Fasciculus medicinae [SIGNED]

Ketham, Johannes de (Text by); Carlo Hautmann (Edited by)

Lucca: Azienda Grafica Lucchese, 1963. Facsimile edition. Hardcover. 1/350. Folio. [108]pp. Uncut. Original gilt-stamped morocco, with gold lettering on covers. Uncut. Illustrated title page. Limitation page signed by editor Carlo Hautmann. Book housed in its original marbled cardboard slipcase. Striking facsimile of the second Venetian edition (1493) of Johannes de Ketham's monumental "Fasciculus medicinae," a collection of short medical treatises edited by Ketham himself, many of which are from the medieval period. The book was first published in Venice in 1491, and was the first printed book to contain anatomical illustrations. The ten handsome full-page woodcut illustrations (including one in color: the Dissection scene) influenced artists for some time, such as William Hogarth's "Four Stages of Cruelty" (1751). The illustration on title depicts Petrus de Montagnana, a physician, reading and writing at his desk in his library. Influential medical texts are placed around the desk and on a shelf above his head. At the bottom of the image are three patients. Two patients are seated. One appears to be praying the rosary while the other is holding his head. The standing patient carries a basket and a walking stick. One of 350 copies, of which this is No. 22. Moderate rubbing along edges of slipcase. Spine missing on binding. Text in Italian. Slipcase in overall good, binding in fair, interior in near fine to fine condition. f to fine. Item #30555

Price: $1,250.00