Leipzig, 1665.
Oblong 8vo [194 x 160 mm] of (2) ll. including 1 frontispiece, 83 pp., 7 folding plates 8 full page plates out of pagination, (1) l. between pp. 30 and 31, p. 75 is on double page. Full ivory vellum, blind-stamped fillet on the covers, flat spine, blue edges. Contemporary binding.
Extremely rare first edition of this treatise by Andreas Klette on the art of slicing meat, published at the author’s own expense.
Weiss 1941; Oberlé, Fastes de Bacchus et Comus, 555. Vicaire 476 only mentions one smallest edition of 1677.
“The dedication addressed to the first magistrate of the town of Leipzig is dated July 12th 1665.
In the foreword to the reader, Adreas Klette reminds that since he left his position 10 years ago at the University of Iéna in order to dedicate himself to perfect his knowledge of the noble art of slicer. He already had published, a few years earlier (in 1660), a small booklet on the delicate exercise. We never knew, before this publication, so elegant books on the matter. Many paperback editions with a figure per plate followed each other until the 18th century. In this great edition, plates bear several figures designed with a true artistic concern.” (Oberlé, Fastes de Bacchus et Comus, 555)
The illustration copper-engraved by Nicolas Perleberg, is composed of an engraved frontispiece representing 4 guests sitting at a table and an officer slicing a fowl, 9 plates out of pagination showing utensils used to slice meats, poultry, rabbits, head calf, haunches, suckling pig, lobsters, fish, etc. A second boxed title and 6 folding plates explaining the placement of various dishes on the princely banquet tables.
A very beautiful copy preserved in its original vellum binding. This type of book is nearly impossible to find a such a condition.
Our researches didn’t allow us to locate any copy on the public market in the past thirty years.
We were able to locate only 3 copies in the world, 2 in German libraries and 1 in a Czech library
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